EDINBURGH ERASES HIS PAST WOES
JUSTIN Edinburgh is keen to put the horrors of last season firmly behind him after Gillingham recorded their second consecutive league win.
Gillingham won just one of their final ten league games last season, a run which included four home defeats, to scupper their chances of a place in the play-offs that had previously looked a certainty.
They have made a solid start to this campaign however, with a Ryan Jackson strike and Antony Kay own goal enough to see off Bury.
“It’s been a fantastic week,” said former Tottenham Hotspur defender Edinburgh.
“I think there was little bit of doom and gloom around the football club from the outside, not from within, and rightly so because of the end we had to the season.
“It was tough, there was hangovers within the players.
“I think a lot of credit has to go the chairman Paul Scally this week. He’s worked hard to bring JET (Jay Emmanuel Thomas) into the football club, he’s backed that up with Jamie O’Hara and Josh Pask and I think the confidence in the team has come through.
“I was aware that there had been four consecutive defeats here. I think if we had lost it would have been a new club record and you don’t want to be a part of that.
“It’s been a really good week, and we’re looking forwards now.”
After an opening day win at Southend, the Gills saw off Bury courtesy of a convincing team performance.
The opener came in the fifth minute after Mark Byrne’s chipped through ball found the overlapping Jackson, who took a moment to steady himself before sliding the ball under Ben Williams.
Gillingham’s second came in the 57th minute after a strong start to the second period.
Bury skipper Kay tried to clear Jackson’s low cross but succeeded only in skewing past his own goalkeeper.
Tom Pope got Bury back in the contest nine minutes later, getting on the end of a Tom Soares cross and planting a header in the bottom right-hand corner.
Bury threw bodies forwards in the dying moments and launched a series of long balls into the box, but the home side held on.
“We always knew it was going to be a tough game,” said Bury boss Garry Flitcroft.
“Gillingham are one of the fancied teams, and they create a real atmosphere down here.
“You know and they know how to play on this pitch they know how to play in this stadium. “Ben Williams’ two saves were out of this world, they deserve to be on the winning team, certainly not the losing team when you’re committing those saves and those blocks. “Then there was Nathan Cameron, the power of him and the precision in his work was outstanding.
“So down the spine we’ve put some fantastic shifts in and I want the other players to really get behind that.”
GILLINGHAM: (4-4-2): Nelson 6, Jackson 8, Pask 7, Oshilaja 6, Konchesky 7, Wright 7, Byrne 6, Knott 6 (Hessenthaler 79 6), Osadebe 7, McDonald 6 (Quigley 86 N/A), Emmanuel-Thomas 7 (Donnelly 79 6)
Subs not used: Hadler, O’Hara, Oldaker, Dickenson. BURY: (4-2-3-1): Williams 7, Jones 7 (Maher 70 6), Cameron 7, Kay 5, Leigh 6, Mellis 6, Soares 7, Clark 5 (Mayor 46 6), Danns 6, Hope 6 (Ismail 46 6), Pope 5
Subs not used: Rachubka, Etuhu, Dudley, Bedeau