Managers reaction to City's win at Gillingham

Last updated : 04 April 2004 By Michael Morris
Andy Jones

"I don't think we deserved to lose.

"Our second half performance was good, after we had a right go at the boys at half-time because we spluttered in the first half and never really got going.

"We came out, got a great equaliser, and went from strength to strength and how the ball stayed out of their net at times I don't know.

"Unfortunately they hit us with a second, and then we got the penalty, but Alan Pouton's miss is the story of our season. I think that is the fourth one we had missed so in the end it was very disappointing."

"I think we believed in ourselves more in the second half. There is a lot of nerves about, because the lads realise the position we are in and they didn't express themselves in the first half."


Lennie Lawrence

"We're in a good run of form, but we were a little bit fortunate today. A lot of players have been away on international duty this week and I'm pleased with their physical response.

"It was a game of great physical commitment by both sets of players, including five or six major incidents which we got the best of.

"We scored a penalty, and if Danny Gabbidon hadn't come off we might have gone on and won convincingly. We missed it, he does go off, and there was a spell when Gillingham got right on top in the second half and we wobbled a bit for a 10 to 15 minute spell.

"They had the chance of getting a point with a penalty they missed, but to be fair Gillingham probably deserved to draw, but when you are down the bottom those things go against you."

"I don't really want to discuss the play-offs. We will just keep going, and I have asked the players to keep their foot on the accelerator, and credit to them, they have done that.

"We're getting a wee bit short on bodies, but we'll go again at Millwall on Wednesday."