Ehmer has field day
Gillingham’s passing game in the first half at Bristol Rovers was a joy to be part of for defender Max Ehmer. Gills kept the ball on the deck and were rewarded with an early goal and a first-half lead, which was doubled after the break. It got tense in the latter stages, as the Gills came under increasing pressure but Ehmer and his team-mates managed to see the win home. Ehmer said: “The first half was probably one of the most enjoyable first halves I have had, this season certainly. Giving it to DJ (Oldaker), him getting on the ball and spraying it about. It was good to watch, being involved and watching the build-up. “We want to play and we showed that, especially first half. The day before the manager said to us, ‘just play, what’s the worst thing that could happen? You could lose, but nothing really bad is going to happen, just play football’. “That is what everyone wants to do, we are good enough to do it. “First half we controlled the game, maybe not in terms of chances but the way we got on the ball, we were switching it, DJ got on the ball and we got our goal from Listy. It was a great finish.” Gillingham had to play 20 minutes, plus an extra eight of stoppagetime, with 10 men following Callum Reilly’s dismissal. Ehmer said: “We knew it was then going to be backs to the wall and we held on well. You just have to keep your shape and sit behind the ball and almost suck up the pressure. ”We conceded a goal, which was frustrating but we held on well. There were bodies on the line and about eight at the back at one point. It was not the best way to win, but it felt like a proper victory. We’re happy.” Looking ahead to Sunday and a trip to non-league Slough in the FA Cup, Ehmer hopes he’s not on the end of another day to forget, He said: “It is a massive game. Those games are always hard. It is their cup final and they are playing against a League 1 team. “They want to show what they can do against us and we have to go into that with the right attitude and mentality, otherwise they are difficult games. I have had them here, like Brackley. You have to be 100% on it and we will be.” A crucial period lies ahead for Gillingham, says boss Steve Lovell. They begin December with a trip to non-league Slough on Sunday in the FA Cup second round. Five league games follow as the Gills look to pull themselves clear of the dogfight at the bottom of League 1. Lovell said: “It’s an important month for us. There are a lot of games in December with the Christmas period and it is important you pick us as many points as you can. “I think if we have a fit squad to pick from then we will be fine. We are getting that way, although we will now miss Callum (Reilly) for three games (through suspension).”
The Gills head to Slough buoyed by a 2-1 win at fellow strugglers Bristol Rovers.
Lovell said: “With the cup coming up now on Sunday, and a very, very busy December, that will give the players all a lift. I am pleased with it.
“I felt it was a game that we had to win. We needed it to give everyone a boost, all of the players deserved it.
“We could take a lot of pride in the win as a group and push forward and work on it.”
Weekend opponents Slough play in National League South – a league below round one opponents Hartlepool – and overcoming one non-league side already should be good preparation, according to Lovell.
He said: “It will be a tough game again. It is a big game for both teams because we know what can happen in the third round. There won’t be any complacency, definitely not. After what happened at Hartlepool, the boys will have learned from that.”
On Tuesday night the Gills faced a backs-to-the-wall last 20 minutes, holding onto a lead with 10 men. Lovell admitted it was tough to watch.
He was speaking with injured defender and captain Gabriel Zakuanin as the action unfolded.
Lovell said: “Gabs said to me, ‘it is not easy on the side is it?’ He was sat there watching it and he said it was a nightmare.
“When you are a player you are a bit in control of what is going on but when you are on the sidelines you are not. I did say it is more pleasing getting results like that as a manager than a player.
“As a player you just concentrate on yourself and what you have to do but as a manager you have to concentrate on the whole group and when you get a result like that, with the work ethic they put in, is so pleasing.
“I was proud of them, they deserved it.”