Gillingham were booed off at Priestfield on Saturday and the captain’s determined to use their own frustration to put it right next weekend.
The Gills head to Fleetwood off the back of a fifth consecutive draw, and another disappointing day on home soil, giving up a commanding 2-0 lead against Barrow, to end up hanging on for a point as it finished 2-2.
Captain Armani Little spoke of the players’ disappointment after many home fans voiced their displeasure at what they saw in the second-half on Saturday.
“When you serve that up in the second-half, we can’t blame them,” Little said.
“When they see the standard of us in the first-half, they’re frustrated too, but there’s no-one more frustrated than us.
“We have to turn that frustration into having fire in our belly next week.
“We’re going to have to go there and win. It’s a big game for us. Everyone knows that, and we’ll be working towards that all week, ready to take the game to them.”
Just like in recent seasons, the Gills have failed to build on a positive start to the campaign, but the festive period is a time when plenty of points are up for grabs.
They’ve got three more games this month before starting the new year with away matches at Swindon and Notts County.
Little knows the importance of the busy period coming up.
“It’s a vital period for us,” he said.
“We’ll be looking to get as many points as we can to set us up for the second half of the season.
“The table is so tight. One or two wins can get you right up there.
“We’re still around it now. Come January, I’m hoping we’ll be still maybe in it, or a few points off it, as long as you can stay around there and then push on in the second half of the season.”
The frustration for the Gills was the complete contrast in the two halves against Barrow.
They were the dominant side in the first 45, scoring twice to lead 2-0, but they were left cursing themselves for not putting Barrow out of sight before the break.
The visitors went for it in the second half and as Gillingham sat deeper, the game turned on its head, ending 2-2 and with Barrow finishing on the ascendancy.
Frustration and disappointment were the two words Little used to sum it up afterwards and even he was struggling for an answer as to why.
He said: “Having played that well in the first-half, and then to come out and perform like that in the second-half, I don’t know how it could be so different between the halves.
“We’re going to have to come in (this) week, work on things, get things right like we should have done in the second-half, and take it into the game at Fleetwood.
“We could have been three or four up (first-half).
“We were playing a team that’s got nothing to lose at the minute. They’ve just sacked their Gaffer and they came here with no pressure on them.
“As soon as they got that one goal (back), they’re starting to think all of a sudden they can get back in the game. So we had to kill that.
“We’ve got to be better. The game’s in our hands at 2-0 and we have to come away with three points there. Everyone knows it in that dressing room.
“The frustration and disappointment is through the roof at the moment.”
