Gillingham manager Mark Bonner said he was pleased with the reaction he saw from his side as they beat Salford City 1-0 at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium on Saturday.
Jayden Clarke scored the only goal of the game early in the second-half in what was a hard-fought fixture. Bonner saw the levels of commitment from his side that he expects to be the minimum from them going forward.
Joe Gbode was forced off in the first-half following a nasty blow to the head that saw him stretchered off. The Gills manager gave a positive update on the situation.
There were five changes to the starting XI after the midweek defeat to Bromley, including a league debut for academy graduate Harry Webster. Bonner was hoping to see that spark something in his side.
Thoughts on the game…
I needed some reaction from Wednesday, which we got. I really liked the commitment of the team, and when you have got 26 games left, or whatever it is, you just look at that and say that is the minimum level that you expect to see. The players know that, and it is a good reminder to them, and to us, and to everybody else. We come out of the game with a really important result against a team that are going very well.
We take three points from a really committed performance.
After the first goal, what a brilliant attack the next one was. Jayden [Clarke] is just offside, and Jack [Nolan] has the shot. He maybe has Elliott [Nevitt] as a pass on the opposite side, but we're just offside there.
I haven't seen it back, but everyone that has tells me that I was absolutely right. We felt that it was a penalty in the first half on Jayden, which would have helped us in the game. Well done to him again. Another goal and a really good start to the second-half.
Then, who doesn't want to see their team fighting and giving everything? That's the minimum. That’s the minimum for this club and the minimum for supporters to turn up and see that.
Update on Joe Gbode…
That will keep him out for a week or so now. He will have to go through some protocols, as he was out for a little bit. It’s a bit innocuous, really. He’s not really clued on to the throw-in, and the lad comes pressing and catches him with an elbow. I don’t think that there’s any malice in it. He just catches him unaware as he turns, and obviously, it puts him on the deck.
He was stretchered off, but by the time we came in at half-time, he was up and about and being his normal self. Hopefully, it’s all good there. It might keep him out for a little bit because you have to follow certain protocols, which is right, but he’s good.
The reasons for making five changes…
I could have made 11 from the other day. I think that I made five to the starting team. I think it was one of them days with players in and players out and no one can really have a complaint. Part of that is just to spark a reaction in the whole group. Some are probably fortunate to go again, while some are maybe unfortunate.
I think that the positions that we changed were valid ones. We changed to a back four and played 4-4-2. We haven’t got the most athletic team in order to go and press really high in the game, so we sat a little bit deeper at times.
On Harry Webster’s start…
His one v one defending was great. He had moments in the game that he will look back and think that he might have done that better, but what I like about him is that he defends with intensity. He is good one v one against dribblers, he gives you everything that he has got, and his mistakes are honest ones.
I think everyone forgives that from the players and we needed that today. He gave us that. I am really pleased with him and he becomes a good option in our team for us.
