Adam Barrett wants team to clinch title at home following Cheltenham defeat
Gills skipper Adam Barrett has called on the team to `finish the job off` next weekend after suffering a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Cheltenham Town on Saturday afternoon.
Michael Hector’s second half header from a corner gave the Robins all three points despite a late charge from the visitors, and although Barrett revealed the players were disappointed not to have claimed the title, they have already begun preparing for the match against AFC Wimbledon next weekend.
After the game he said: “It was difficult conditions, the pitch was a bit bobbly and there was a bit of swirling wind which didn’t make it the prettiest to watch at times.
“It’s a tough place to come, they’ve done extremely well here this year and they have got the better of us.
“They are a good side, fair play to them as they made it hard for us.
“I don’t think they have been beaten here since September so it was always going to be difficult. We thought we could come here and get something and unfortunately it just hasn’t happened for us.
“We are disappointed of course because I think a draw would have clinched the title for us, but we now dust ourselves off and it will be nice to do it next week at home against Wimbledon and we will be fully prepared now to get us ready for that one.
“It was a tough fought game, the lads put in a tremendous effort again and we really wanted to get something out of it and clinch it. We picked up a couple of injuries but they will be assessed.”
The defeat saw the Gills unbeaten away record of 14 games come to an end, but the Captain said the squad should be proud of their achievements.
He added: “The record speaks for itself; it’s very difficult to go as long as we have without being beat away from home. We have broken the club record by quite some distance and it’s a fantastic achievement – it has come to an end and it was always going to at some point.
“We want to win the title and we are disappointed, we had a fantastic turnout but we are not resting on our laurels. We have done the main part and got promotion but there is a lot of ambition out there and a lot of hunger and you don’t get an opportunity like this come round very often.
“Some people never get it in their careers and we need to make sure we prepare properly, which we will do and the gaffer will make sure we are bang on it and we come in and train hard.”
Finally Barrett thanked the fans on behalf of the team for turning out in huge numbers and was quick to emphasise the collective efforts of everyone at the club.
He said: “They have been fantastic all season, when we had that week of travelling and people came the length of the country to support you.
“On Saturday they were tremendous, obviously they were all hoping we might be lifting the trophy and a big thank you from all the players to the supporters this year as they have really helped and it’s been a big collective effort from everyone and let’s go and finish the job next week.”
To read the immediate thoughts of Manager Martin Allen click here.
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