Justin Edinburgh reacts to the Gills 2-1 win over Crawley Town
Justin Edinburgh said his Gillingham side got back to the levels they had set themselves when he first arrived as Manager following Saturday’s 2-1 win at Crawley.Bradley Dack and Jermaine McGlashan scored either side of half time at Broadfield Stadium, with Izale McLeod equalising for the hosts just after the hour mark.
The visitors survived a late scare with Lanre Oyebanjo striking the outside of the post to achieve their second victory at the venue this season.
Speaking after the game Justin said: “We had a lot of possession in the first half and worked the ball well but if you’re going to be critical I thought our crossing from wide areas, especially in the first half, could have been better.
“I think if we had got that little bit more quality in the box we could have caused Crawley a few more problems in the first half.
“But to come away and have as much possession as we did against a team who have won three consecutive matches it was a good performance first half.
“We had to deal with a lot of balls in our box but I thought we dealt with it well, with us replying very quickly it took the game back in our hands again and saw it out.
“I thought we got back to where we were when I first arrived, getting the right players in the right areas and I thought we looked fresher. I was very pleased with today.”
Gills lined up slightly differently with a 4-2-3-1 formation implemented from the off with Dack joined by both John Marquis and McGlashan in behind Luke Norris.
The Manager believed the system was correct for the players who started, he said:
“It’s trying to play to the strengths of your personnel really, McGlashan has had to be patient but I thought we needed to get some pace and width into the team and he certainly gave us that.
“We don’t want to be regimental in any way, we don’t want to be continuously changing the players but you’ve got to be flexible and they need to be able to adapt because at this level people can quickly cancel you out.
“You need to have a Plan B or C and that’s what we’re working towards between now and the end of the season. I want to make sure that decisions I do make on personnel are as correct as they possibly can.”
Norris and Marquis were both named in the starting XI with Cody McDonald coming on as a second half substitute, and the Manager explained the change.
“I spoke with Cody and I feel if we are going to give Luke Norris a chance he’s going to play more than one game,” he said. “John was rested last week, Cody was given a breather this week and we have three or four very good strikers in that area.
“It’s not about being dropped, it’s about keeping things fresh and making sure that everyone gets a fair crack.”