Gillingham boss Gareth Ainsworth was pleased with the character his side showed in his first game in charge of the Football Club, as they came from behind to earn a point in a 1-1 draw at Harrogate Town.
Ainsworth felt that he learned plenty about his team during the game, admitting that there is plenty to be worked on.
Max Clark scored Gillingham's equalizer from the penalty spot. The Gills manager spoke on how the left-back became the man to take the penalties.
There were 501 travelling supporters at The Exercise Stadium on Saturday. The 51-year-old thanked them for their incredible support, acknowledging the role they played in helping to push the players on during the second half.
Praising the character of the squad...
There was a bit of nervousness, and with a change in manager it was a big week for the boys, so the character they have shown today I am really proud of. It's a tough place. Harrogate are in the league every year because of their home form.
Their home form is really good, and it is easy to get beat here. They're good at what they do. We warned them about the set pieces, and ultimately, we saw two set pieces - two penalties.
The character the boys have shown in the second half to get back into it, and we could have gone on to win it, but either team could have had a winning goal. I'm not going to dress it up in rose-tinted glasses, and there is plenty of work to do.
I am really pleased with the character that they have shown today. That's what I have seen. I said to them that one of my non-negotiables is to empty the tank, and you saw Jonny Williams and Nev [Elliott Nevitt] coming off absolutely shattered. They've given everything. Jonny was flying into tackles, and he's playing in a slightly unusual position. All of them emptied the tank, so that's all you can ask as a manager.
What he learned about his team...
There's lots to work on with this team. We're a little bit nervous sometimes, defending uncertainly at times, misjudging a couple of things, and some silly free-kicks that we give away. I want to work on that and being a little bit more cute on that side of things.
Going forward, we can be a lot better. We can get the ball down. If I am in total defence of the boys, when you come away to places like Harrogate, and they are quite direct, you get sucked into a direct game. That can be apparent at times, but you have got to win the battle.
You are all good players, but you have got to win the battle sometimes and earn the right to play. At half-time, I said, 'No worries, they've got a goal, but you are kicking to your fans now. Let's get that ball down, and let's play the better football.' I thought that we did in the second half, especially, and we deserved to get back in the game.
Discussing the second half...
In the second half, I thought that we could have gotten closer to the ball higher up the pitch, but this team has been through the mill this season. They are almost a wounded animal and are a bit scared sometimes. We need to go a bit more all out, get that ball down and play some good attacking football.
When we got the ball down in the second half, with a couple of switches of the play, getting the wing-backs in and getting in behind them, I think that caused them problems. That led to the penalty actually, a couple of switches of the play.
When Jayden [Clarke] came on, he injected a bit of almost arrogance with the thought of 'I'm going to take people on and get at people'. I want that no fear attitude from the boys.
We were a little bit long ball in the first half, living up to my previous title at Wycombe, probably with Akinfenwa in the team, but when we got in at half-time, we said to get the ball down and can we have that extra touch and play a little bit? There were some tough afternoons for some people, but ultimately, taking a point away from home in any week is a good point. It adds to our total.
On why Max Clark took the penalty...
I am very proud to say that I picked it before the game. They said, 'Gaffer, we have had one penalty all season, and that didn't go well', so I said that Clarky [Max Clark] is on penalties. I like my left-backs on penalties; you ask Joe Jacobson!
I made the decision. They are always quite technical players, your left-backs. Clarky, to be fair, he is solid. He never has any bad connections when he hits the ball, and it was nice for him.
I am glad that I did announce it before the game because they would've been scrapping over that one, wondering who was in charge.
The travelling support...
The fans were fantastic. Really, really good. I didn't expect them to travel in those numbers, but they were absolutely behind the boys. I am hoping that they can see a bit of a difference.
You really helped us in the second half. If you noticed, they ran over right in front of the fans to celebrate. That's what I want. We're all together in this.
