Gillingham assistant manager David Kerslake spoke to the press following the 3-3 draw at Chesterfield on Tuesday evening
Assistant manager David Kerslake praised the efforts of the Gills players after they came back from 2-0 and 3-1 down to draw with Chesterfield on Tuesday night.
Scott Wagstaff scored a 95th-minute equaliser at the Proact Stadium to earn his side a memorable point, and Kerslake applauded the commitment of those on the pitch for the visitors.
Kers on…the result: “At 3-1 down, we weren’t sure if we were going to get back in the game. But we saw a trait we’ve seen already this season, that never say die attitude. They’ve kept going and got what they deserved. To come back from 3-1 down and get a point is fantastic, but we’re deeply disappointed to have conceded three goals.”
Kers on…defensive play: “That needs to change; we can’t defend the way we did for the goals and the crosses [into the box]. We have to rectify that - if we don’t that, we’re not going to be challenging for anything. That’s a priority for us, and we’ll work on that this week.”
Kers on...Jay Emmanuel-Thomas's two penalties: “He has a way of frightening the life out of you when he goes up for penalties. But he’s an exceptionally confident lad, and he’s slotted them in nicely.”
Kers on…selection difficulties for the game: “The games are coming thick and fast right now, and we’ve had to make changes. We had two experienced full-backs in Jacko and Konch [Ryan Jackson and Paul Konchesky], and two strikers who played very well on Saturday [Rory Donnelly and Cody McDonald] out injured today, so the manager decided to go with three at the back. But it’s not about formations, it’s about the players, they go out there and tonight they showed a will to get a result.
“We’ll have a look tomorrow, and see who we’ve got for Saturday [away at AFC Wimbledon]. We were waiting on Cody and Rory until around lunchtime, but they were in too much pain. We knew about Jacko and Konch yesterday. Cody’s foot is sore, and Konch has a calf strain. We’ve got a good squad, plenty of young players who we like, too, but it would be a lot easier if we had everybody fit.”
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