David Kerslake delivers his verdict on Gills 2-1 win over Luton at Priestfield
Assistant Manager David Kerslake said Gillingham deserved to progress in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy after a strong second half display.
Gills defeated Luton 2-1 having gone behind in the first half and Kerslake admitted the performance before the break wasn’t good enough.
He said: “The first half wasn’t anywhere near good enough the standards we have set ourselves. We expected a lot more in front of our home fans and we were really pleased with the response.
“In the second half we took the game to them, dominated and deserved to win.
“The one thing that we spoke about at half time was don’t get beat because this is our home patch, it’s vital that teams know when they come here they’re in for a hard game.
“That’s always been the case here at Gillingham and we’ve had a good start and we aim to keep that going.”
David commented on the displays of Harry Lennon and Emmanuel Osadebe who both started the game and put in good performances.
Kers added: “I thought Harry was outstanding, particularly in the second half where he won every header. Not too many players will run him so he looks a good addition to the squad.
“Paddy also was outstanding in the second half, he got tired towards the end but he put in tackles and put in the yards.
“He keeps going and has energy to burn. He can run past people and break lines.
“He will be a good player but has a lot to learn, we are working with him and showing him video clips – he’ll be OK.”
His post-match interview in full can be seen on Gills PlayerHD.