Gillingham boss Gareth Ainsworth has called for more of the same at Colchester after his side responded to a half-time scolding last weekend.
The Gills produced a second-half performance at Shrewsbury that delighted Ainsworth, recovering from a 3-1 half-time deficit to draw 3-3.
While the first half had been poor, it was the second 45 minutes that left Ainsworth begging for more.
“We’ll be ready for Colchester and hopefully we can take the second half into that game, because that was way good enough for League 2,” he said.
“What I’m really pleased with is the way we played second half. I think that we’re seeing glimpses now of how I want it to be and that was good.
“We were on the front foot. We didn’t drop our standards. They got a rollicking at half-time. They got a rollicking at full-time. But we went home with a point, and it was a brilliant comeback. The spirit in that camp is second to none.”
The Gills have made a habit of having to come back in games. They’ve come from behind to earn points against Accrington, Tranmere, Bromley, Cheltenham, Barnet and Shrewsbury and won at Newport.
They were two goals behind twice against Shrewsbury last weekend but recovered to draw – something Ainsworth has taken the positives from.
“I’ll take that,” he said. “Because we’re a side that, even when they scored after five minutes [last Saturday], I’m thinking, ‘there’s plenty of time here’.
“I know my side. Even at 2-0, I’m thinking, ‘I know my side, we can get back’. At 2-1, I’m thinking, ‘here we go’. I’m always confident that we can get back in games and do things, because I know my team.
“It looked like a real tall order to get back in the game at 2-0. The wind was in our face, but I always knew it would turn around. I knew we were kicking to our fans.
“There were just a couple of individual areas that I’m going to have a look at. But the way we played, taking it into [the next game] will be important.
“It’s about watching that and saying, ‘Right, this is the first half and look at the second half and be confident, boys. Look what you can do to teams’.
“We have some super players, we really do. I’m hoping that I’ve given Brad and Shannon (Galinson, the owners) a good Thanksgiving week, over in the States.”
League 2 table ahead of the weekend;
Saturday’s game is a 12.30pm kick-off and has been moved from a Tuesday night slot next week after both teams were eliminated from the FA Cup at the first-round stage. The clubs opted to play the league game now rather than sit it out on a weekend set aside for the competition’s second-round ties. It’s the only League 2 match this Saturday.
The Gills could move as high as fourth in the table or be leapfrogged by in-form Colchester, a point and two places below them in the league. The U’s have won their last three games in the division.
Ainsworth’s side are four unbeaten but have only won one of their last nine games.
He said: “I remember the 21-game streak started with about seven draws, you know what I mean? We went on to really good things.
“Good teams don’t get beat. We’re not getting beat. But great teams win, and we need to start winning.”
