Gareth Ainsworth was pleased with the second-half reaction from his side as they came away from Chesterfield with a point in a 1-1 draw on Tuesday night.
The Gills boss acknowledged that the first-half performance was not good enough, but was glad that his half-time words had an impact.
Ronan Hale opened his account for the season, with a goal that came from sheer determination. Ainsworth believes that is the moment that will allow the striker to push on.
Ainsworth also provided an update on a couple of fitness concerns, and discussed Lamin Sillah's first start.
Thoughts on the game...
The first-half was nowhere near good enough. It was like we rested in the first-half. We were nowhere near good enough. We weren't close to players, we weren't getting messages around the team, we weren't communicating. We were nowhere near.
At half-time we needed a reaction. I gave them a bit, and Stevey Craig lost his rag a bit, and we have got a reaction from them boys. That is all that we wanted. That was superb that second-half. We faced a lot of pressure in the last ten minutes there, but you are going to do away at Chesterfield.
I have to say that some of these young boys are really coming through... They are academy graduates who have come through, but they are coming through in a really, really good way.
Ronan Hale opening his account for the season...
Ronan, it's endeavour. He always wants to score, he always wants to hit the target, and he always wants to try and get a shot off. To be fair, he has had some good chances of late, and it has just not gone his way. But that one tonight I think will kick-start him.
Addressing some fitness concerns...
I think that Conor [McManus] was cramp. I think that Ronan [Hale] was tired, and Robbie [McKenzie] is probably the only concern. I think that was a genuine whack on a massive whack that he got on Saturday.
We will have to patch them all up, get them recovered tomorrow, and Friday we set off to the north-west.
On Lamin Sillah's first start and the introduction to the physical side of the senior game...
Lamin Sillah started with him [Ronan Hale], and I think that is a really good introduction for Lamin, who was battered about a little bit, and that is the rough and tumble of the Football League. I said to the young boys, 'That is what it takes. You don't get that in the 23s.'
You don't, and no disrespect to that league, but you don't get battered sometimes like that and battered up top like that. You have got to get used to it, and you have got to know that it's coming. Lamin will grow from that as well.
