Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth believes the momentum is building as his much-changed side held League One AFC Wimbledon to an EFL Cup draw, as reported by Kent Online.
Ainsworth made six changes from the team that beat Walsall last Saturday.
Selection Dilemmas After Positive Midweek
For the EFL Cup tie, Ainsworth changed his goalkeeper with Jake Turner getting his first taste of action this season, swapped the three in midfield and made changes at the back and up front.
The Gills scored late on to take the game to penalties only to lose to their League One opponents but the manager was delighted with his squad.
“There’s players that have been waiting a long time, a couple of years, to get fit and perform.”
“I think there were a couple of players last year who were stop, start, really and didn’t get going. Under me, they’ll all get a chance.”
“This is why I have this smaller squad, because everyone can smell the first team.”
“The three in midfield swapped around with Nelson (Khumbeni), Jonny (Williams) and Ethan (Coleman). There’s not much difference between the three that started Saturday and the three that started Tuesday. That’s great. That’s strength in depth.”
Ainsworth Can’t Wait To ‘Get Stuck In’
Gillingham head to Tranmere Rovers on Saturday looking to continue their unbeaten start to the League Two season and the manager can’t wait to see his team continue their momentum.
“We’ve got something going here and I think that momentum in the second half, everyone could feel it. It wasn’t just a watch, it was a feeling, and that’s what I’m all about.”
“I can’t wait to get stuck into the next team.”
“The team were great. We have players running through brick walls. There are really good signs for me that the boys are buying in.”
“They believe in us and I certainly believe in them. We’re proud of where we are. It’s not always the football tactical patterns thing that clicks. It’s a togetherness and a belief and that was definitely evident.”
“I think that was evident from players, fans, staff, everybody and definitely when you see a team like Wimbledon, who have done brilliant to get to League 1, they were then thinking, ‘We need to slow this game down. This is too much for us’. That was great to see. I was pleased by that.”
Writer’s View
It is a positive for a manager to be able to make six changes and still come away with a positive result and Ainsworth has certainly made the Gills hard to beat.
It’s another tough test against Tranmere and with a small squad, the relentlessness of League Two could be their undoing as the season progresses.
