Gareth Ainsworth admitted that his side fell way short of the standards that he expects following the 3-0 defeat against Oldham Athletic at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium on Saturday
The Gills boss was frustrated at his team being undone by set pieces again and was not pleased at how Oldham took control of the game in the opening 20 minutes, where they took a two-goal lead.
Ainsworth is keen to get things right, and with a full week of training coming up, he knows that there will be many serious conversations needing to happen as the team prepares for the long trip to Barrow next Saturday.
Immediate emotions post-match...
A couple of things. I didn't see it coming, and it wasn't good enough. I have had a go at the boys at the end of the game, saying that it was not acceptable, and there is not much more that I can say. There are details that we will go into, but it was way short of the level, and that is why we have been beaten 3-0.
Assessment of the game...
We didn't defend well at all in that first 20 minutes. They bullied us and got the better of us too many times. There were a couple of set pieces, again, that we have conceded, and then we need to score when we are on top in that period. I firmly believe that it is a penalty on Sam Vokes, and that probably changes things a little bit, but you sometimes don't get them, so you have to accept that.
Bradley [Dack] has been really unlucky. Their keeper has made a couple of amazing saves on that, but we were going well and were aggressive. I thought that Garath [McCleary] was causing all sorts of problems down the right there, and we get in at half-time, and I am told he has got to come off because of an injury, so that sort of compounds the day.
We changed formation in the second-half, and with the chances, again, we have to stick them in. The third goal sums the performance up; very poor today. It is not good enough for me, not good enough for the fans, and not good enough for Gillingham. There will be changes, definitely.
It is a stark reminder of what job I have got to do here.
Understanding the supporters' frustrations...
They are football fans. They have paid their money to come and see the team. They want to support the team; win, lose or draw, they want their team to be good enough to compete, and we weren't today. We were far short of the level.
I went up to say thank you, and yeah, that wasn't good enough. I will always clap the fans. I am always going to front it up. I am never going to hide and run off. That isn't me. I will go up to them and say, 'Thank you for your support.' I agree that it wasn't good enough, and I will put it right.
For as long as I am here, I want to be sure that the performances are good enough on a Saturday and a Tuesday night. That was way short today.
Responding to the result...
That was the worst performance by far. I am not surprised that we have been beat. It is not good enough for me, and it is nowhere near my standard. The boys know that now. They knew it before, but they definitely know it now. It is going to be a long week because we have got to put it all right and get up to Barrow next week and put a performance in that is worthy of Gillingham Football Club, and worthy of League Two.
We were beat convincingly today. None of us can hold our heads up high, me included. I will take the brunt of it, as always, but there will be some serious talks with the players when we go through that one.
