Lessons will be learnt from Sheffield United defeat, says Gills boss.
Gills Head Coach Stephen Clemence could not fault the effort his side showed against Sheffield United, but was frustrated with the manner in which the goals were conceded.
Gillingham’s Premier League opponents showed their quality throughout the game, something Clemence believes his players can learn from in the short and long term.
Since taking over at the club, Clemence has himself learnt plenty about his squad, a group he has enjoyed working with.
The Head Coach was full of praise for the 7500+ Gillingham supporters, appreciating their backing throughout the game.
The goals that were conceded…
I felt that for their first goal, we were on the attack and felt that there was a chance we might actually score, and then you see the blistering pace of a Premier League side when they counter against you.
I was a little bit disappointed with the goals that we conceded today. I would not have liked to have conceded them in League Two. You can always moan about goals, but I think the boys will be disappointed with them as well, and I mentioned that to them in the dressing room.
The supporters…
I thought that the fans were fantastic all day. I really enjoyed being in front of a full house. They got right behind the boys and tried to help them as much as they could. Thank you to them.
What can be learnt from the experience of playing a Premier League club…
Premier League players do not need many chances to score, and that’s one of the big differences when you play at the top level and play lower down the leagues. That has always been the case.
There will be good lessons to be learned for our younger players on the pitch today, where they have played against an elite player, and they know what that looks like a bit more now.
If they want to try and improve, then they have got to try and learn it from these players when they play against them. From that point of view, that will be a positive for them because there are people in the dressing room that will want to play at a higher level, and they maybe can.
What he has learnt since his first game at Hereford in the First Round…
I kind of know where most of them are at now. I am really happy with the group, and it is a group that I enjoy working with. They are one of the best groups that I have worked with in my career. I think that they are a decent bunch of lads who are committed to the Football Club and are committed to each other. They do want to improve.
I am seeing signs in recent weeks that we are going in the right direction. The boys are getting more confident as each day goes by and with each performance. They can still take homage from that defeat, and I will show them where they have done well next week when we do some analysis.