Gareth Ainsworth was pleased with what he saw from his side in their behind closed doors friendly with Brentford on Saturday afternoon.
The Gills lost the game 2-1, but Ainsworth was pleased that his side created plenty in the fixture, hoping they can carry that into the new season. Omar Beckles scored Gillingham’s only goal from a corner, and Ainsworth is hopeful they can be more threatening in set piece situations this campaign.
Ethan Coleman also made his long-awaited return from injury, as he entered late into the game. The Gills boss was delighted for the midfielder to get some minutes under his belt, with the season inching ever closer.
Assessment of the afternoon…
Sometimes you get these games, but first of all, thank you to Brentford, Sam Saunders and his team. They were great. Sam played for me back at Wycombe, so it was really good to have a relationship here and be able to play their 23s, which are a very decent side. They had some players that they paid money for.
We had about 18 shots at goal, which, for me, in League Two... that wins games.
Unfortunately today, they wouldn’t go in. We have conceded one from a corner and one from a freak goal. We’re really happy with where we are in pre-season. There is a really good vibe about the place. The boys know that they played well. When we put the high press on today, I thought that we looked very good. There was lots of energy, and it’s a great workout for us.
Positives from the afternoon…
Omar [Beckles] scored from a corner, which is great. I want to see more of that this season, being more threatening at set pieces. We actually had some good moves that we had worked on in training. There were some real good patterns that came out.
The boys are in a good place. There are some real positives from the new boys, who are gelling well. They are all together, which is the big thing for me.
Ethan Coleman getting minutes…
It’s great to see Ethan get some minutes under his belt. He has been out a long time injured and has had a couple of sticky seasons since the season when he first came. I wasn’t here, but by all accounts, it was a fabulous season. He has had too many niggles and stops and starts. For him to get on there was great.
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