Gills boss reacts as squad achieve back to back wins on the road following Boxing Day win at Colchester
Peter Taylor praised his players for achieving back to back away wins against Colchester on Boxing Day but conceded his side’s second half display could have been better.Joe Martin and Bradley Dack had put the visitors 2-0 up before the interval only for sub Sammie Szmodics to pull one back on 51 minutes, with Gillingham then defending for the majority of the half to try and preserve their lead which they successfully did to win the game 2-1.
Cody McDonald had a goal disallowed with the hosts having two ruled out themselves, the last of which coming in the 94th minute with the resulting free kick bringing the game to an end.
Following the game the Manager was happy to record three more points but admitted he had asked his side to be more ruthless in finishing the game off.
He said: “I was very pleased with the last half an hour of the first half and I thought we played some really good Football and scored two very well taken goals, and well-crafted goals.
“I was very pleased with that but I wasn’t particularly pleased with the start of the match or the second half at all. To be fair Colchester were better than us in the second half and deserved a bit more.
“I said at half time that we needed to get the third goal and if we do that then all of a sudden it will be a very good afternoon for us because to me the home supporters would let them know they were a bit disappointed with them and their boys would have dropped their heads.
“We said we needed to be ruthless and go and get the third goal but we were nowhere near it in the second half and they scored pretty early which makes it more of a nervous second half.
“We were up against it because they got the goal and the crowd were urging them forward of course, but I then wanted us to win the ball and calm down to make a move.
“I felt as then we could have got another goal, unfortunately for us it didn’t happen. Every now and again it did but not good ones to the quality we had in the first half which is why it was such a long second half.
“We worked hard but we didn’t work clever.”