Gillingham manager John Coleman praised his side’s impressive turnaround after Tuesday’s point at Walsall.
A 1-1 draw at the Bescot Stadium came after a much better performance from the team – a far cry from the disappointing showing at Barrow just days before.
Report: Walsall 1 Gillingham 1
“I think that’s the best we’ve played since I’ve been here,” Coleman said.
“We started the game really well and controlled the first 20 minutes.
“It’s a hostile place to come. They had a promotion where I think it was £10 to get in, so there was going to be more on the gate anyway. We quietened the crowd by how well we controlled the game.
“There was a lot of harsh words said this week. It’s been quite an emotional week. A long trip to Barrow and then another long trip to [Walsall].
“But the lads were determined to prove a few people wrong. They don’t have to prove me wrong. It’s themselves first and they showed that.
“You couldn’t fault any one of our players. They gave everything they had.
“I think in the balance of the second half, I think we deserve to win it.”
The Gills had to come back to earn a point after going behind to a goal from home captain Jamille Matt.
Coleman’s side got level with a shot from distance off Robbie McKenzie and were pushing for the winner at the end. Remeao Hutton and Armani Little came close and there were several penalty appeals waved away too.
“They scored an absolute fluke,” said Coleman.
“The ball’s going off for a throw-in and it ricochets into the net.
“We’ve scored an unbelievable goal through Robbie and I think if anyone was going to score late on, it was going to be us.
“There were a couple of big penalty shouts and those seem to be deserting us. When you see the one again on Saturday, that was clear.
“It’s frustrating. But all we can do is concentrate on ourselves. Our fans were magnificent, again.
“I was pleased with some of the things I saw. Max Clarke hasn’t played for a bit and I thought he was outstanding. He showed the control that we needed in that position.
“Remeao the same on the other side, so there’s signs that we’re going in the right direction from that perspective.
“I think all the fans wanted to see tonight was us roll our sleeves up and have a go. We certainly did that so I think the fans will have gone home happy.
“Pleased that we’ve regained a bit of pride that we lost on Saturday.”
