Gareth Ainsworth ‘proud’ of Gillingham reaction in win over Shrewsbury

Manager Gareth Ainsworth praised his Gillingham side for bouncing back with a 2-1 victory at former club Shrewsbury.

The Gills had endured a tough fortnight with defeats against Accrington and Grimsby sandwiching a draw against Port Vale.

Harry Waldock fired the visitors ahead early on before George Lloyd’s penalty levelled things up. But defender Andy Smith’s 80th-minute effort got the Gills back to winning ways.

“It was good because we got pegged back and they chucked a lot at us,” said Ainsworth. “To come through that and win the game, I’m really pleased.

“I’ve told the boys we’re clinical. We might not create loads of chances but when we do they’re good chances. We are enjoying the way we are playing. We are enjoying the way we get our opportunities.

“It came off the back of a really tough week. Accrington and Grimsby weren’t nice and we sat through hours of footage and say what wasn’t us and what wasn’t nice.

“I told the boys not to worry about getting beat. I just wanted them to show how good they are so I was willing to lose today. At times some of them looked 10 feet tall. I’m really proud of them.

“Credit to the experienced boys I bought on because I know what it’s like to sit on the bench in your 30s, it’s not nice, you want to be amongst it. All four of them played a huge part to get us over the line.

“Let’s go and get through to the second round of the FA Cup now.”

Shrewsbury suffered their first defeat in four as their recent upturn in results came to a painful end.

Boss Gavin Cowan said: “Obviously I’m ultra disappointed.

“There are lots I could say for us to be better. Obviously managing games and being caught late on is something that is a reflection of the average age and the depth of the squad.

“As you can see, we’re really scraping the barrel when you look at both benches and see what we can bring on and what they can bring on.

“If you take out some of the big moments, I’m proud of the players. It’s a performance Shrewsbury Town fans can be really proud of.

“In terms of a result, it’s not one that we want. I’m challenging the players to make a decision on what they want from the season.

“We’ve been pretty excellent performance wise. Today shows how far we’ve come because we’ve dominated a team in possession, but big moments again where we have to score.”