Gareth Ainsworth credited all of his players following their hard-fought 2-1 win against Tranmere Rovers on Saturday afternoon.
The Gills boss was delighted for Ronan Hale, who scored his first two goals for the Football Club in the win. Ainsworth discussed the goals and the qualities that the forward possesses.
Tranmere made it a difficult afternoon for Gillingham at MEMS Priestfield Stadium, controlling possession in spells throughout the second-half. However, Ainsworth admitted that the result was the only thing that mattered. He also explained the reasoning for the change of formation when Sam Gale was introduced to create a back five.
On the game...
The lads were superb. They dug deep and made it a little bit harder than it could have been, but I am really pleased. We could have scored quite a few goals in that first-half, and it would have been more comfortable than it was, but fair play to Tranmere, they dug deep and came at us. They had nothing to lose, and it is really hard to play against a team that has nothing to lose. They throw things forward at you and play with a freedom, and we were hanging on to something.
I am pleased. In the second-half, we probably weren't the better team today, but we have come away from it with the win, so I am really, really proud of the boys. They have run and travelled, then run again this week. They have been through a tough week.
Fair play to them, there were some good performances in there.
Obviously, I am going to talk about Ronan, who scored his first two goals, which is brilliant. That is what he was brought here to do. Just as Cat [Glenn Morris] is brought here to save shots, he is brought here to score goals. He has done fantastically well taking his goals.
Ronan Hale's goals...
[His first goal]- I think that the first goal epitomises what Ronan does, and how he anticipates and how he is desperate to play on that shoulder and get in behind all of the time. For the life of everyone, they thought that he was offside, but when you watch the replay, he is about two yards onside. He times his run fantastically well, and that's the sign of a quality striker.
[The second goal]- His second goal was very opportunistic. It was the right place, right time. All of the big men are being marked, and everyone is pushing each other and holding each other, then the little man steps up with the header! I am sure that he will start getting marked at corners now!
His anticipation and his instinct of being in the right place at the right time is something that you find very difficult to coach. Time after time, you feel that when Ronan gets the ball, something is going to happen. That's the type of player that we brought in. I am really pleased for him today.
The result mattering most...
We wanted to win today. How we do it is always important, but the result is the main thing. I have a great staff and a great set of players. I credit all of them today. They have done really well for me.
I changed the formation, which ultimately you can say it worked because we won the game. We went to a five at the back as I thought that they were overloading us a bit, and that was important getting Galey [Sam Gale] on to plug a gap, and it allowed everyone else to shuffle over a bit. The boys rode their luck at times. Cat made a brilliant save, but their keeper has rode his luck as well in that first-half. You always remember how you finish games and not too much about how you started games.
I thought that we were sensational in that first-half, but you have got to put the ball in the net. That's what people remember, and that's what people care about: seeing that score line. Anybody who wasn't here doesn't care about how we played; they just see the result.
I am really proud of the boys.
