Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth says he understands fans’ frustration — and is hurting too.
The Gills conceded two stoppage-time goals at relegation-threatened Crawley Town to lose the game 2-0 – a fifth straight defeat for Ainsworth’s side in League Two.
Report: Crawley 2 Gillingham 0
There were just over 900 fans there backing the Gills, but they were left feeling shortchanged once again.
“We should walk away with a point,” said the Gills manager.
“[It was] not a great game, a lack of quality on both sides, some of our set-pieces and our crossing was just way off, the final moments, way off.
“You’re looking at a 19-year-old [Harry Waldock] being your best player on the pitch. It shouldn’t be like that, it should not be like that.
“I don’t know if there’s a mental problem here, because there’s no lack of preparation. There’s no physical reason we should be giving away two goals in the 90th and 93rd minutes. Just a lack of quality defending.
“If we’re not going to win a game, don’t lose the game. I’m really disappointed with the goals.
“I feel the fans’ frustrations big time. I’m frustrated, really frustrated.
“We should have enough in the tank to come to Crawley, no disrespect to Crawley, but the other teams at the bottom are going to think, ‘What’s happened there, how have Crawley beaten Gillingham? Watch the goals. They’re not good, not great defending.
“They [Crawley] defended okay. We had a couple of chances. We had the better chances of the game. We had more territory. We had the more forward intention, but we’ve chucked a game away again.
“That really frustrates me because it feels like we didn’t see it coming. We’ve just got to be more solid, and that was poor at the end there.
“I’m just frustrated. Frustrated for the fans. I’m frustrated. I’m frustrated for my staff. We work so hard. We do everything that we feel is right for the games. It eludes me why we defend so badly for four minutes of the game, which cost us a 2-0 defeat.
“Defending wasn’t good enough at the end there. And we can’t let that happen because we can’t be losing 2-0 away at Crawley Town.
“I want to say [to the fans that] I understand your frustrations and how annoyed you are. Totally. I’m with you. I can feel your pain. I’m sharing it.
“It’s ruined my weekend. I’m hoping it’s ruined the boys’ [weekend], because they should be better than that.”
The Gills dropped to 17th in the table after the defeat and another sorry afternoon for the team.
Josh Andrews came closest to scoring, with a header that was cleared off the line, and a goalless draw would have been a welcome result after a string of losses.
But lapses at the back again late on proved costly.
Ainsworth said: “We need a little bit more character, I think, sometimes, and we’ll try and bring that in [during the summer], but at the moment, we’re looking a beaten bunch, and that’s not me.
“I wish I could get my boots back on and get out there. Those days have gone now and I’d love to get involved in a game like that. Unfortunately, it’s the way this club has been for a few years now.
“It was really tough to watch at the end there.
“At nil-nil, we’d have gone across to the fans and said, ‘Thank you. Sorry, we didn’t get a win. We got the point,’ but, no, it’s frustrating that we’ve lost it. It’s even more frustrating for the fans.
“We have to look at how that’s ended up a 2-0 defeat, capitulating defending.
“We did really well for 90 minutes. It looked like a 0-0, it looked like a lack of quality in the game but a point’s better than another defeat.
“Lo and behold, two goals go in 90-plus minutes. If you’re going to defend like that in those periods, then you’re going to lose games.”
