Gareth Ainsworth was frustrated with the lack of ruthlessness in Gillingham’s finishing in the 2-1 defeat against Fleetwood Town.
Gills led the game 1-0 at the break, but their hosts fought back in the second period to take all three points. Ainsworth was disappointed with the second-half showing having dominated most of the opening 45 minutes.
The Gillingham manager is now looking forward to returning home on Boxing Day, where a few players may return following injury.
Assessment of the game…
We have to defend better in the second-half. We lost too many battles in the second-half, and we’re just thin on the ground with numbers and bodies. We’re just trying to get some secured balls up top to be held up and to stick, and they weren’t, as they were coming back at us. It’s the type that Josh [Andrews] and Vokesy [Sam Vokes] would probably thrive off.
We had enough chances in the first-half to go one, two or three up, but if you miss your chances, you are always prone to getting punished. Fleetwood have punished us in the second-half. They were quite relentless in what they were doing.
A free header in our box again is unacceptable, and then at the end, they have scored from a couple of yards out. Bradley [Dack] has hit the post in the second-half, but we weren’t threatening in the second-half, again. It’s been a tough couple of halves in the last two games. We have got to realise that we are in a pretty tough place, get out of it, and we have got two must win home games. I want to try to be competitive in both games to win both games. Six points would make a huge difference, with the way that we are. That’s a tough one to take today.
Message to the players after the game…
I said to them that I accept that we’re in a tricky place, and we have plenty of injuries, but they are coming back. But when you get those chances in that first-half, you have to take them. Even though it’s after 20 minutes and 30 minutes, there is no point taking your chances on 89 minutes. Take them early. Let’s put the game out of sight at times when we have got those chances.
We had a lot of attacking play, but we have got to hit the target. We have got to work their keeper, more and more. We don’t do it enough here, and I am well aware of that.
Boxing Day…
We have got to make sure that we don’t get too down, and we get ourselves up for Boxing Day. It’s going to be a great occasion, with Neil [Harris] coming back with his Cambridge team. They are very well organised, and they are going to be a tough task.
I believe that we can win at home. If we play like we did against Barrow in the first-half, we can blow anyone away, but we have got to do it for 90 minutes.
Players possibly returning…
Hopefully, we will get the two big strikers back, and Marcus [Wyllie] will be back. Conor Masterson will hopefully be back. All of these will be real positives for us if we can get them back for this run of Christmas games. I am going to have to change the team around a little bit, but we have got seasoned pros like Jonny Williams, Ethan Coleman, Max Clark and Shad Ogie on the bench.
