Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth was embarrassed by his team’s performance on Saturday but is determined to fight on.
The Gills boss is nearing the end of his first full season in charge, and he can’t wait for the campaign to end so he can make changes to the squad. His current players aren’t up to the job and were thumped 6-2 at Barnet on another afternoon to forget.
Report: Barnet 6 Gillingham 2
Barnet tore into the Gills right from the off, 1-0 up after six minutes and straight back in front to cancel out a goal from teenage debutant Sullivan Booth.
Even the away fans ended up clapping off Barnet striker Callum Stead – a one-time target for the Gills – after he smashed in five of the six goals in the rout.
“That was a terrible away performance and I apologise to the fans who watched that,” said Ainsworth.
“It’s embarrassing. You can’t come away to a team who’s in really good form, who we warned [the players] were decent at set-pieces, who we warned we needed to be compact against so they couldn’t play through us. It’s like they did the opposite to what we were warning them about.
“That’s my worst day as Gillingham manager, that’s a real tough day.
“That was a poor one, a real poor one. The irony is, if we defend set-pieces better, which I’ve gone on and on about, it’s a 3-2 [defeat] and we go away going, ‘You know what, Barnet have had a hell of a season’.
“They’re in good form. They’ve got all their players fit. Great, but we just concede too easily. That was a bad day.”
The Gills were 5-1 down at the break and Ainsworth made a triple change. Stead added his fifth and Barnet’s sixth before Josh Andrews scored a consolation with seconds remaining.
Ainsworth said: “Even though we levelled the second half, we came in at half-time and I made three changes and said, right, at least go and win me the second half. We drew it.
“There was some positives there. Sully Booth, positive. There’s a lot of work to do here.
“I’m not going to shy away from that. No chance. I can’t wait to get stuck into it.
“I’m going to change it. There’s no fight I haven’t stepped into that I haven’t won and I’m going to step into this one and win this one.
“It just wasn’t good enough. Players kicking the ball off the pitch with no pressure. Barnet looked stronger, fitter. I can’t fathom why we’re so easy to score against.
“When the boys collapse, they properly collapse.
“I was just speechless at times. That’s all I can say.”
Ainsworth has another year on his contract and is determined to turn things around.
He said: “I don’t look great in this. Well, not at all. [The fans are] probably questioning my coaching.
“It’s not my decision. It’s upstairs, what they want to do.
“I am absolutely committed to this club. We work on the right things. We do the right things. The levels are just not at the level that we need to be in League 2.
“If we need to get out of League 2, if we need to finish in the top half of League 2 at least, we need massive changes at this club. Players and other things as well, but big changes. I want to be part of that.
“Defeats like that always put my position in jeopardy. Of course, I’m a football manager. I’m not stupid.
“I’m a scrapper. They’ll never get me down. I’ll have a go and I’ll fight my way out of anything. That’s who I am.
“I’m not going to sit down and weep. No chance. You don’t do that. I would never have got out of Blackburn if I’d have done that. I fought my way through my career to play at the top.
“I’m going to fight my way at this [as manager] to find a way to get this team better. I’m absolutely committed to that and I can’t wait to get stuck into it.”
