There was a lot for Gillingham head coach Stephen Clemence to be pleased about on Saturday.
Gillingham returned from Accrington with maximum points after a 2-1 win. It was the team’s first comeback victory of the season in League 2, the first time they had scored more than one goal away from home in the league and a third straight three-point haul.
More: Accrington 1 Gillingham 2
The Gills were only denied a place back in the play-off positions after MK Dons snatched a late win over Tranmere to take seventh place.
“I will be quite boring and say I am not bothered about the table,” said the Gills head coach.
“I am happy about three wins on the spin, happy that we have come from behind to win a football game, happy that we have scored two goals away from home for the first time in I don’t know how long, happy that the subs have come on and made a difference to the team.
“I am happy on a lot of levels – I am happy with them all.
“I am delighted with the lads. I thought first half we were marginally the better team, it was a very tight game, we were disappointed to lose a goal straight after half-time but I sill believed the boys could come back into it.”
Alex Henderson nodded in from a free-kick early in the second half for Accrington before the Gills fought back with Conor Masterson heading home following a corner kick and substitute Macauley Bonne smashing in a winner on 75 minutes.
Clemence said: “Oli Hawkins did great from the corner (to meet Connor Mahoney’s set-piece and nod it back across goal) and Conor finished off the set-play at the back stick.
“It’s nice that we make the substitutions and they come on and help the team, that is why you have a squad, we have a good squad, a strong squad and the lads who started the game did really well, but the ones who came on made a difference and helped us out at the end.
“I am delighted with them all and I think it’s the first time we have scored two goals away from home this season, it’s the first time we have come from behind, we have got quite a few monkeys on our back so that can only give us confidence going forward.
“These things can start weighing heavy on your shoulders when it doesn’t happy for a while and so to get that monkey off the back is great, great for them all, because you are going to go behind in football matches, you are not going to dominate every game. You might not start games well, you are going to have to come back and that will give them some belief that they can do it now so really pleasing.”
Gillingham have now won on each of their last five visits to Accrington.
Clemence said: “That’s great for the supporters and a great record because they have got an outstanding manager (in John Coleman). I was looking at his record this week, he has done over 1,200 games as a manager, someone I have got an awful lot of respect for, to have that longevity in the game.
“We study every opponent and we knew they have some very good players, John Coleman has put a good team together, as he always does, he recruits excellent players.
“I am just happy we won the game, that’s the main thing.”
