Gills boss heaps praise on his squad as Brandon Hanlan nets in the 95th minute to clinch all three points at Bloomfield Road.
Steve Evans was delighted with the character his Gillingham side showed in their dramatic 3-2 win over Blackpool at Bloomfield Road on Tuesday evening.
Armand Gnanduillet gave the hosts the lead in the opening five minutes, but two quickfire goals from John Akinde, his first for the club, and Regan Charles-Cook, put the Gills in front.
Nathan Delfouneso looked to have earned the hosts a point in the first minute of injury time, only for Brandon Hanlan to pop up with the winner in the final seconds, and send the Gills back to Kent with all three points.
Evans said: “That’s probably our poorest performance, certainly in the first 45, and a little while after, but certainly away from home, we’ve been dominating games. In the second half we were by the far the better team.
“When we remember it, I’ll remember a brilliant through ball from Jordan Roberts. Akinde puts it into the net, which John does. I think from there on in, we’re in the ascendancy. Regan, brilliant chest and volley, I'm delighted for the kid as he’s been working so hard.
"When we look for character, to go up the other end and play three great passes, and lead to a corner, and what a delivery from young Tom O’Connor, and a brilliant header from Brandon.”
The Gillingham manager said he was always looking to win the game, even when Blackpool brought the game level in injury time. He said: “What went through my mind (when they got the goal) was let’s try and win the game. You’ve seen that with the starting line-up, you’ve seen it with the substitutes we made.
“I said we had to take four points from Burton and Blackpool, I said that before Burton. We’ve taken four out of six. It sets an absolute brilliant game up on Saturday against a Doncaster side under Darren Moore. But it’s a game we can win, and we’re going to try and win.”
Evans also praised the efforts of the away fans, of whom 125 made the trip up to the north-west. He said: “If I could have kissed every one of them, I’d have kissed them. Some of the lads wouldn’t have been happy with, and I’m not sure all of the ladies would have been! 125 people have come all the way up from Kent on a bitterly cold night, with adverse conditions of wind, rain, and they don’t know what they’re getting.
“But they were on the floor after ninety plus two minutes, and jumping for joy after 94. We can only ever be grateful and thankful that people see us as worthy of travelling that distance. But it’s their club.”