Stephen Clemence heaps praise on Gillingham players after win at Salford

Posted Sunday, March 03, 2024 by PA

Stephen Clemence was full of praise for his Gillingham side as they made it back-to-back wins to move into the League Two play-off places with a gritty 2-0 win over Salford.

Goals from Shadrach Ogie and Timothee Dieng earned three well-deserved points for the Gills, who were excellent in their defensive shape.

Gillingham head coach Clemence said: “Salford have done really well recently, they’ve got some good players and we had to really play well today to get anything. We had to bring our A game, go and take them on.

“We had to bring the best version of ourselves and to a man they were great, the starters and the boys that came on – it meant something to them today and you could tell.

“We had to fight for every ball, we won a lot of duels and we defended fantastically well. That’s three clean sheets in a row now.

“I’m really pleased for the boys and their efforts today and to score two goals away from home is a really good day.”

Both goalscorers were excellent for Gillingham but Clemence couldn’t pick out a star man and lauded the collective display.

He said: “It was a good all-round performance. I could go round every single one of them and give them some praise, I thought that to a man they stood up to be counted.”

After an unbeaten run in Karl Robinson’s first eight games in charge, Salford are now winless in their last three – losing two and drawing one while conceding eight goals.

Since taking the Salford job, Robinson has been “baffled” at the level of officiating in League Two.

The Ammies head coach said: “I’m baffled by some of the officiating that I’m seeing this season. It’s so far off the mark.

“If you look at their first goal, it was borderline offside. If VAR was here, you would have got it but I don’t think the officials are good enough at this level to give them.

“But I think the officials were good enough to give the foul that led to their second goal.

“When we get free-kicks given against us for minimal contact and not given for us for complete contact in the build-up to that second goal, it baffles me.”

Gillingham proved to be a tough nut to crack but Robinson feels his side still have to do better.

He added: “I felt we were sloppy in our finishing, we have to do better.

“I don’t think Gillingham came here and carved us open. I think the scoreline flatters the game a little bit – playing on a heavy pitch. We’ve played three games in seven days and they didn’t play in midweek.”