Gills manager Justin Edinburgh spoke to the press after his side's 1-1 draw with Walsall on Tuesday evening
Gillingham manager Justin Edinburgh was in an optimistic mood after Tuesday’s Sky Bet League One 1-1 draw with Walsall at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium.
The Gills led the game through Cody McDonald’s headed effort following a fantastic cross from Scott Wagstaff, however Walsall levelled through Franck Moussa to snatch a point for the Saddlers.
Edinburgh was happy to see Gillingham break their losing run, seeing the draw as a point gained going into the derby against Charlton on Saturday.
Edinburgh on…the performance: “I thought it was a tentative start but I understand the reasons why. From there on we grew into the game, and started to win a lot of first and second contacts. I thought we looked threatening.
“Walsall then came out and put us on the back-foot [in the second half]. However, I thought we showed character in abundance tonight to make sure we didn’t go under after the goal and lose the game.
“I thought the players were resilient. They’re human beings – we all get nervous no matter what profession we’re in.”
Edinburgh on…McDonald and missing players: “I thought Cody was exceptional tonight. I thought he led the line well, he was a real menace, he got the goal and had a couple of other opportunities.
“I think we’re getting Cody back to the player that we’ve all come to recognise and know. He did a sterling job up front.
“We lost [Scott Wagstaff] him to an injury. He’s got a strain to his abductor muscle, but it’s very doubtful he’ll be available for the weekend
“We'll miss the skipper [Josh Wright] for a game [against Charlton through suspension, after picking up his fifth booking of the season] I know he would have been desperate to play.”
Edinburgh on…breaking the losing run and facing Charlton: “We wanted to win. We’ve wanted to win every game since we had our first defeat. I want to put smiles on people’s faces, I want people to feel good.
“Tonight will stand us in good stead going forwards. It gives us an opportunity to build on the result and go into a derby against Charlton where 3 points would be massive.
“It’s a good one for the crowd. They’ve had a few tough times of late, but tonight I thought the fans were fantastic. Throughout, the Rainham End lifted us.”
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