Gareth Ainsworth said he was incredibly proud following Gillingham's dramatic 3-2 win against Newport County at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Having battled back from behind twice, Garath McCleary came off the bench and headed in a second-half stoppage time winner with his first Gills goal. Ainsworth was delighted for everyone associated with the Football Club, hoping the victory could kick-start a run of good results for his side.
Gills started the game with a 4-3-3 formation, and the Gills boss outlined his desire to utilise the wingers in his team. However, he reiterated the willingness to be adaptable in their attempts to win games.
Ainsworth also showed his appreciation to the supporters, who played their part in willing the team on throughout.
Thoughts on the game...
What a game, and what a win! The fans got their money's worth today, certainly. I am so glad that we got on the end of a good result at home, because we have waited for a while. I think that the players turned up, but we also conceded too many chances against us. But wow, we turned up, and we won the game. We found a way to win in a crazy game, and I am so, so proud of the boys, and the fans, and everyone who has been involved in this.
It was a really crazy game emotionally. I think that keeping cool and changing a little bit formation-wise to try and get more offence on their back line while trying not to concede too many chances has worked. Some of the big players turned up, definitely, and made a difference. There were some awesome moments in the game, and I am not going to pick anyone out, but I have subs coming on and blocking with all their life to get the result over the line.
It was a fantastic performance. Going forward, we created a lot of chances and could have been out of sight, but defensively, we want to tighten up a little bit, especially on set pieces. I didn't think that we were good at them today, and that has been one of our strengths.
The three points are brilliant. I am really, really pleased, and hopefully, it is the start of a run.
The changes in system and use of wingers...
My style is probably wingers, and I have done that a lot. I had a lot of success at my first club with wingers and 4-3-3, and going forward and creating opportunities. I thought that they did really well.
Ironically, we got to a 5-2-1-2 to get the winning goal, but I thought that Garath [McCleary] would be a big threat running off Sam Vokes. Vokesy was very good when he came off the bench there with the flicks, and the experience showed.
It was a couple of formations today, but we got over the line. That 4-3-3 excites me. We have good wingers in the building, and we can get at teams with that formation, but we are adaptable to win games. We showed that.
Appreciation for the supporters...
For the fans, what a game today. They are coming in droves, they are singing and getting behind the boys. They don't ever stop the fans. You are brilliant at this club.
