Gills interim boss Peter Taylor delivers his verdict following 0-0 draw with Scunthorpe.
Gillingham’s interim Manager Peter Taylor was pleased with the effort and application that his players showed to grind out a draw against high-flying Scunthorpe United on Tuesday evening at MEMS Priestfield Stadium.
The game was a closely-fought battle which saw few chances created. Josh Parker felt he should have had a penalty in the first half following a clumsy tackle in the box and Jesse Starkey fired over late on, while Tomas Holy pulled off a number of vital saves to maintain his clean sheet and earn the Gills a point.
Taylor thought the Gills started brightly and was most pleased with the teamwork and organisation that the team displayed but he is targeting further improvements before the visit to Ewood Park on Saturday.
“The performance could have been better,” he said, “but there were still a lot of positives. The work the players put in to try and get a result was all I could have asked for. They all put a shift in with each other.
“The whole plan was for Sean [Clare] to be more of a back-to-goal centre forward and we wanted [Elliott] List running in behind. The first move was perfect for us, you’re getting Listy running towards their goal and he’s dangerous there.
“But the [Luke] O’Neill injury hurt us a little bit. We didn’t have good spells at times, but they dug in.”
Taylor was particularly happy with the contribution of Elliott List, making his first league start of the season.
“It’s a really positive night for Elliott. He looked great and he was worth the opportunity, although we didn’t get him in as much as I would have liked because he’s got great pace. He’ll be looking for more now.”
The interim manager also commented that the side have to keep improving if they are to move away from the relegation zone starting at Blackburn Rovers.
“I said to the players afterwards in there that there’s a few little things I’m going to talk to them about on Thursday, because I want to improve us. They’ve got to improve it’s as simple as that.
“We need all of our players fit and well. Lee Martin is now available, which is good. He’s an important player for us. He’s been at some good clubs, he’s experienced and he’s clever – we need people like that.
“The players want to do well for themselves and for the football club.”