Gillingham manager John Coleman spoke to the media after his highly anticipated return to former club Accrington Stanley on Saturday.
The hosts thought they were heading towards all three points until Max Clark rifled Gillingham back onto level terms deep into stoppage time, following a smart free-kick by Armani Little. The game ended 1-1, a result that Coleman believed was correct on the balance of the play.
Coleman was pleased with the impact the substitutes made on the day, one of those being Jacob Wakeling who was introduced during the second half.
The day was built around the Gills boss' return to the Wham Stadium, but Coleman was keen to reiterate his current determination to succeed at Priestfield.
351 Gillingham supporters made the long trip to Accrington, for which Coleman was full praise. He was delighted to send them home with something to celebrate.
Discussing the game...
There wasn't a lot of quality. I think that there was a bit of nervous energy for both teams. There was not much goalmouth action at all. Jimmy [Jay Morgan] had a good little run and just fizzed his shot wide, and then they had a double chance, where Glenn [Morris] made two great saves, and Tyler Walton missed a good chance for them.
We go to sleep from a free-kick, and it's a good ball in and good finish by their lad. It's 1-0, and it's a different team talk with it being ten seconds before half-time, but I think that we took control of the second half. I think that we played the game more in their half, and there were sporadic attacks from Accrington and that's down to how well we defended and how hard we worked to get second balls and forced them back.
We had lots of entries into their box, but without troubling their goalkeeper. That's what has plagued us all season and we have got to be better when we are in and around the box. We have got to make better chances.
It was a great move for the free-kick after we wasted two, so the presence of mind that the two of them had to be able to execute that and the strike by Max [Clark] was fantastic.
I think that on the balance of the play, we deserved a draw. Probably not much more than a draw.
The impact of the substitutes...
I must say that the substitutes did well when they came on. They all had an impact on the game. I thought that Jacob Wakeling, considering he hasn't kicked a ball for the first team in three or four months, looked lively and a handful. Nev [Elliott Nevitt] came on and did what Nev does. He unsettled their back three. Nelson [Khumbeni] was bright, and Jonny [Williams] was springing up winning headers. Max [Ehmer] was very composed when he came on.
On the return to Accrington Stanley...
It wasn't just about me, it was about me and Jimmy [Bell] being a big part of this Football Club for a long, long time. It would have been disappointing if we hadn't got a result. It would have been very disappointing.
I got a bit emotional at the end to be honest. It was nice to see the tributes that the fans paid to us. However, we have got a job to do at Gillingham, and we are doing our very best to do it. We are very passionate about Gillingham.
The travelling supporters...
I have to thank our fans because they were magnificent coming again in their numbers. It's an arduous trip and I am glad that they were rewarded with a bit of happiness at the end. It was great scenes of celebrations when we scored.
It excites you. I am really delighted that they got their reward.
