Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth was delighted his team secured their League 2 status with his first win in charge.
Bradley Dack came off the bench to score a stoppage-time winner against MK Dons on Saturday.
Four straight draws under Ainsworth had all but ensured Gills were not going to get dragged into a relegation scrap, although the three points mean they are now mathematically safe.
“People probably raised their eyebrows and said he’s leaving League One and coming to a relegation battle in League Two,” said Ainsworth.
“We were never in the actual battle, but it’s nice to be safe now. I’m hoping to give a few more players an opportunity to show what I’ve got because I need a window. I need a pre-season.”
There are few better feelings in football than a last-minute winner, so Ainsworth was understandably delighted with the outcome at Priestfield.
He paid tribute to the fans, who continued to make plenty of noise throughout the second half.
“I am so pleased for the Gillingham fans and I’m so proud of the Gillingham players and staff I’ve got because they’ve all deserved that,” said Ainsworth.
“It’s incredible the amount of draws we’ve had but for us to nick a last-minute winner, and it wasn’t pretty and it’s not always going to be pretty, what a result.
“Everyone at the end there, I celebrated with all my heart because they were brilliant. The fans were patient. They could easily have started getting a little bit disheartened because there were some passes gone astray.
“There were some things we tried, you probably didn’t see, but I tried two different formations out there. I thought we needed to get another man up top and then I changed my mind second half.
“I thought, no, I’ve let MK Downs in here a little bit, so we’ll change back to the original formation. I had to make some big, brave decisions with the substitutes as well.
“I’m so pleased for every person who is part of Gillingham. Fans, staff, players, because they deserve that. It’s brilliant when we win and to win it in that manner.
“Bradley getting the goal – he’s been through a tough time, a hell of a time.
“He’s a man of quality. He’s the man who’s popped up with the winner and he said to me coming off the pitch, ‘Thank you, Gaffer’.
“I think that’s reciprocated because that goal was a big goal for me. Four draws and a win is a decent start.
“What a great way to win a game on a sunny day.
“The Rainham End were absolutely belting. They were just singing and shouting. And I think when the five minutes went up, it just gave everyone that little bit of hope.
“We needed all five of them, but we finally got there.”
It was a game devoid of many clear-cut chances and while the Gills were the better side, they looked on course for their seventh successive draw in League 2.
There was still plenty of positives in the performance for Ainsworth to build on.
“I thought we pressed the ball really well from behind,” explained the Gills boss.
“I asked them to press and not let anyone have any time on the ball. I thought we did that really well.
“What I thought we could have done better was keep the ball better. A few control passes, we call them, which would have been better for us, and then sometimes setting the trap and keeping them on one side.
“There were things that we worked on, but it was a tough game, because they’ve played three different systems this season and I’m trying to rotate players to have a look at them all.
“We’re changing the system and we’re changing the intensity of training and the whole identity of the club. So, fair play to the boys.
Read more: Gillingham 1-0 MK Dons match report
“They really stood up well and they deserve all the credits. They deserve all the credit – they’ve given everything.
“I thought we could have been better on the ball. We had a couple of chances, not enough, and we’ll work on that.
“We’ve not even had a chance to sit down and go through set pieces and how we want them to work. But there’s some clever little bits there.”
