Gareth Ainsworth had to raise his voice to be heard on Tuesday night at Priestfield – something his bandmates might not be too happy about.
It was Ainsworth’s first taste of life managing in front of the Gillingham crowd and the fans responded positively to their new manager’s arrival.
The atmosphere at Priestfield was as good as it’s been all season.
Speaking after the 1-1 draw with Colchester United, Ainsworth – who’s the lead singer for his band – said: “As you can hear, I’ve got a little bit of a croaky voice here. I’ve got rehearsals tomorrow (Wednesday) night with the band. They’re not going to be too happy.
“I’m going to sound more like AC/DC than the Cold Blooded Hearts.
“It’s really, really powerful when they get behind you here. It’s a cracking stadium. It’s an old, on-top-of-you stadium. Fans, you can hear. They’re great. They really are great.
“Like I say, as-billed. Kicking towards that Rainham End second half. I fancied us to score.
“I didn’t know how it was going to come, but Max (Clark) put his penalty away really well.
“I think a couple of thousand people sucked it in that goal for him. I’m really proud of that.”
Ainsworth enjoyed the pre-match rendition of Gillingham fans’ anthem, The Last Waltz.
The manager said: “The staff said to me, ‘You’re going to love The Last Waltz’ before the game.
“Being a musician myself, they were very in tune and very loud and it was brilliant. It does give you that moment where you’re thinking, ‘Wow, this is us, and I want to join into that. I want to be part of that.’
“I think the players now are not embarrassed to go, ‘I’m a Gillingham player’, I want to buy into this.”
Ainsworth recorded a cover of ‘The Wanderer’ while manager at Wycombe Wanderers but covering a Engelbert Humperdinck song?
He joked: “We’re not going to do The Last Waltz. We might do a rocked-up version. But, no, it’s a good release for me. It’s my work-life balance.
“I think the family took a hit when I went to Shrewsbury and I lived away. I can get back to the rehearsing once a week. I’m sure that the family will take that.”
