Gareth Ainsworth was delighted for Sam Gale, who scored his first Gillingham goal in the 1-0 win against Crewe Alexandra at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium on Saturday afternoon but also paid tribute to his squad and staff for their efforts.
The academy graduate was in the right place at the right time to prod the ball into the back of the net after Sam Vokes had headed across the six-yard area. The goal caused rapturous scenes around the ground, and Ainsworth was ecstatic for Gale to have had such a moment.
It was a hard-fought battle in ME7, with both sides having numerous opportunities throughout. The Gillingham boss appreciated the incredible efforts from all of his players.
On Sam Gale scoring his first goal for the Football Club...
A moment on him, he is just an unbelievable player to work with. He is a super, super special kid.
It was brilliant to see him score his first goal. That celebration is him. It means everything to him, but then, he was the first one back over the halfway line, ready to do the job again. That's Sam Gale. He is all in for this place, and the lads love him. The lads absolutely love him. He's deserved that, and it has been coming for a while. I am really pleased that he has got the winner.
The one at Cheltenham probably wouldn't have been as nice; the one that got disallowed last year. You don't want that one. Get the winning goal in front of the Rainham End, Sam. He had a big cheer when he walked into the dressing room after the game.
Discussing the game...
I'm really proud, again. The boys have emptied everything out. They've left nothing on the pitch, and they have played the squad game. Crewe are a good side. They had some good chances today, and it was a really ding-dong game, especially in the first half.
We made some slight tweaks at half-time, which I thought were good because we were definitely the aggressors in the second half. I know that they hit the bar and it's a worldie from distance, and that's fair enough. I think that they had a cross that almost sneaked in, and Sam Gale cleared it off the line, which is great.
At the other end, we had just as many. Aaron Rowe has flashed a couple across, and Bradley Dack has had one off the line. It was a really good game, and there wasn't much in it at all, but good teams score in those moments. The corner delivery was superb. Keeping it alive, I'm not sure who it was at the back that headed it back across, but it has kept it alive, and Galey [Sam Gale] is probably thankful that his first goal was from a yard in front of the Rainham End. It was a brilliant finish for him.
The work behind the scenes on set pieces...
I have to give credit to my staff. They do set pieces. Dobbo and Pete on the attacking, and Deren on the defending. They collaborate between the three of them. I have young Jack doing the analysis, who gets all the clips and clips it all up, so they have to get the credit for this. We have scored from quite a few set pieces. They are doing their job, which is brilliant. Credit to all of those guys, and credit to the players for executing it because it made the difference.
Being able to get results in different ways...
We have battled against Accrington and Tranmere; we played some fantastic football on Tuesday against Chesterfield. I thought that the football came later in the second half today. I thought that we had some really good moves. There were a couple of flicks around the corners, especially on that right hand side, where I felt that if we scored, it was going to be a fantastic goal.
Football is not all about playing a style that people want to see. Football is about being solid at the back, taking your moments and finding a way to win games. We have found four or five different ways to get results in these six games. That really excites me as a manager.
