Gareth Ainsworth was left to lament what was a disappointing second-half performance as Grimsby Town won 4-1 at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium.
The Gills boss was frustrated with how his side struggled to adapt to the worsening conditions during the second-half, and was particularly disappointed with the passage of play that led to Grimsby's penalty just after the hour.
Saturday's visitors scored three times in 16 minutes, as Gillingham allowed the game to get away from them. Ainsworth knows that is something that needs to be addressed during the week.
Assessment of the second-half...
The second half, wow. The conditions worsened, and we didn't deal with it well. We didn't deal with the first balls or the second balls. We were played around in midfield, our restarts were terrible, and we got carved apart.
It changes with the penalty. I think that it is a poor penalty to concede, and we never got a foothold back in the game. You try all that you want. They dominated that second-half. That was not a good showing from us.
We seemed to worry about the conditions, and we seemed to be on the back foot. That hurts me. Be a bit more streetwise, boys. Be a bit more clever on the ball.
I think that the penalty goal comes from us refusing a ball forward, and then getting a throw-in in our final third, and then giving the ball away from our throw-in. It is just chaos. I am thinking, 'Go, have some belief in yourself and go forward with a good pass. Please, let's test them in the areas in behind them.'
We didn't do enough.
On conceding three times in a short period of time...
Another collapse like Walsall in the first game of the season. I haven't seen that since then. We will address it, and I know that these boys will address it. They are hurting. That's the positive here... They are all really hurting. They all want to win every game, and I have to make sure that we have the belief to win.
Message to the fans...
I have gone in there and let the players have it because that wasn't good enough for me. I pride myself on being a winner, and we didn't have enough winners out there today. The fans have got every right to voice their frustrations. It is their club. They were here long before I was here, and they will be here long after I go... They are the heartbeat of the club, and I want to give them something to shout about. Hopefully, we can do that next week.
