Gillingham head coach Stephen Clemence was frustrated his team were unable to produce their second-half performance in the first.
Inconsistency has been a big problem for the Gills all season and that was evident again on Saturday as mistakes in the opening half left them chasing the game in the second, eventually coming back to draw 2-2 from 2-0 down at the break.
The 2-2 draw left the Gills sitting 12th in League 2 at the end of play.
“I am pleased we came away with something but I wanted to win the game,” Clemence said.
“I felt we started in the first 15-20 minutes okay, but we got done off a long ball up the pitch there were a few contacts that we didn’t deal with, there’s a ball that comes into the box that we didn’t deal with.
“With the second (goal we) get done on a corner and then the pressure is on.
“It’s difficult but there were some words that had to be said at half-time and one or two things we had to correct as well, and I thought the way we pressed the ball and got about people in the second half and it was much better.
“It’s always difficult for players when there is one team who still has play-off ambitions and they have got there and one team who hasn’t, it’s a big test when you go a goal behind in a game like that, and the boys found it difficult but thankfully they showed great character in the second half.
“I have now challenged them as far as next season, we have to have a mentality where we take that into 90 minutes, we will try and get some help for the boys and improve the team and squad but going forward we have to have a winning mentality. There has to be a mentality shift if they are going to be successful in their careers.”
Once the Gills had got level, with a well-hit free-kick from Tim Dieng and an equaliser off Conor Masterson’s header, they kept pressing and almost forced a winner, with young striker Joe Gbode going close.
Clemence said: “There was one cleared off the line and the keeper made a good save, we could have won it in the end.
“I would have loved to have won it for the supporters, that would have been nice, people have talked about coming from behind and not scoring enough in games so it would have been nice if it ended that way, but it hasn’t.
“They still showed good character to come back, get a point, but I’m still frustrated, to be honest. I always come into a game wanting to get a win.
“To come from two goals behind and get a point, well done, but I wish we had started the first half like that and it would have been a different game.
“There were moments at 0-0 where we didn’t quite take our opportunity or there might have been half chances but there were definitely a few in there. You want one of them to go in, but it is what it is.
“We have finished where we deserved to finish and now we all have to look forward together as a group and a football club to try and make improvements to make us better next season and that’s certainly what I will be aiming to do.”
