Gillingham boss Neil Harris thrilled with win over Crawley

Posted Sunday, February 05, 2023 by PA

Gillingham boss Neil Harris was thrilled with his side’s second-half response after sealing a 1-0 win over Crawley.

Shaun Williams struck in the 48th minute to secure victory for the Gills, who still sit 23rd in Sky Bet League Two but have won three of their last four matches.

Crawley had arguably been the better team in the first half, and Harris was pleased to see his side adjust in the second period.

“We could have been behind in the first half and the players responded to my words at half-time,” he said.

“I’m pleased that my staff spotted what we needed to adjust, but credit to the players – that’s what comes from having quality in the dressing room, people who know how to take on what you say.

“There was a great atmosphere before the game, it was great for the first 25 minutes, but we ended up playing five-to-10 yards too deep. For whatever reason we weren’t at the races for the 20 minutes before half-time. Crawley used the ball well, but we weren’t great shape-wise.

“I’m not going to accept that. We asked the players to be more aggressive in the second half – they did that really well and from then on there was only one team in it.

“I can’t be any more pleased with 10 points from four games with what is a new group. This is a football club on the rise. We’re on the up.

“Hopefully a lot more people will come along for the ride with us over the next six months, 12 months, 18 months. Everybody sees hope for the future.”

Crawley manager Scott Lindsey was left bemoaning his side’s second-half display, after having been on top throughout the first half.

He said: “I thought in the first half we were very good, then in the second half we were very poor. That sums it up.

“They scored early in the second half, a goal that came from the second phase of a long throw, and then we never played at all after that. We made it an end-to-end game, which suits them more than it does us.

“The boys have taken on a lot of information in a short space of time, and the first half was really encouraging. Then they reverted back to what they’ve been doing. We’ve got to stick with what we do.

“The goal changed the game because we then felt we had to be rushed with our actions. I think they scored in the 47th minute – so we didn’t have to rush anything.

“We needed to carry on playing and find a calmness in the chaos. We’d have been fine had we kept on playing. That performance wasn’t us at all in the second half.”