Armani Little was happy with the way Gillingham battled in their hard-fought 1-1 draw with Accrington Stanley on Saturday afternoon.
The midfielder praised Accrington as a tough and physical outfit to come up against, but admitted that the team has to produce more quality when in the final third.
Little was named captain for the 2025/26 campaign when he led the team out for the opening fixture of the season. It was a proud moment for Little, who was quick to point out that the team is full of leaders.
Having fallen behind midway through the second half, Gills equalised when Little’s corner was headed into the back of the net by Accrington’s Devon Matthews. The captain discussed his angle of the goal and alluded to the importance that set pieces at both ends will have on the outcome of this season.
Discussing the game…
Coming here, it’s always a tough place, and teams always come here and have a tough game. It’s always a fight here, and you have got to win your second balls. They play with a fast tempo and get the ball forward. We dealt with defending that, and we stood firm as a team. I’m happy with that.
The first game of the season is always cagey, and it’s always fast tempo. We know that we need to have that bit of quality in the final third and be a bit more relaxed and a bit calmer when we’re in those positions.
That will come during the season. Obviously, it’s only the first game, so we will build on that and we will work during the week to get that right.
On being named captain…
It’s a proud moment for me. I don’t think that changes anything in the way that I play. I have always wanted to try to be that leader. We have got 11 leaders out there in their different ways. We have got some who lead by example and are a bit more quiet, and you have the talkers. We need everyone being that character and leader. We have that.
It’s a real honour. Nothing beats leading the boys out with that armband on you.
His corner that led to the goal…
I need to see it back. At first, I thought that it could be mine, but then a few of the boys said that they might have headed it in. I’ll try and take it though!
Importance of being efficient from set pieces…
I think that in League Two, you have to be good at defending and attacking your set plays. That can be the fine margin of winning games and getting yourself up the table. We haven’t conceded today from a set play, but we have got one up, which is a positive.
