Gillingham manager Justin Edinburgh spoke to the media following his side's 1-1 draw with Bradford on Saturday
Gillingham manager Justin Edinburgh was pleased with the point his side gained against Bradford City at MEMS Priestfield Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Cody McDonald gave the Gills the lead in the first half, but Jordy Hiwula equalised for Bradford from a corner, before Ryan Jackson was sent off deep into second half stoppage time for a second booking.
Edinburgh was “delighted” to see McDonald open his account in the league, and also praised the “immense” Emmanuel Osadebe, in what he thought was a deserved and well-earned point.
Edinburgh on…his overriding emotions: “I’m frustrated, but overall I thought we deserved a point in a game against a team that is unbeaten in this division; they have good movement and good players.
“I thought we started the game really well, we were in the ascendancy but the goal rocked us. It put us on the back foot and we found ourselves chasing towards the end of the first half. You don’t want to concede at set pieces – it’s something we pride ourselves on.
“At times we cause our own problems really, giving balls away in positions where we should make better decisions.
“Credit to the players because we needed to make sure we showed grit and determination.”
Edinburgh on…his players: “I’m pleased for Cody [McDonald]. He’s looking fitter all the time and he’s looking sharper. Cody’s had a couple of chances that he knows he wants to be scoring, but the way he dispatched his goal is the Cody we know.
“I thought Paddy [Osadebe] was immense today. The energy, the ground he covered is what we missed on Sunday. I thought he was top drawer.
“Scott [Wagstaff] brought us energy, which he’s got in abundance and he took us further up the pitch.”
Edinburgh on…the MEMS Priestfield crowd: “The crowd played a massive part today in terms of the support of their team and I think that filtered on to the pitch.
“It would have been easy to have gone into their shells in the second half, but they really lifted and galvanised the team.
“Our expectations have risen and we come here and think we should beat Bradford, but that is a fantastic point. I saw them at Millwall last week and they should have won that game comfortably.
“We’ve come off the back of two successive home defeats, but they played their part in getting a point against a very good team.”