Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth was full of praise for his players after seeing his side draw his first game in charge at Priestfield.

The Gills came from behind for the second game in a row under Ainsworth and once again it was Max Clark from the penalty spot to rescue a point for the home side against play-off chasing Colchester United.

Having seen his side dominate for long periods and having created plenty of chances, Ainsworth couldn’t quite believe at the full-time whistle how his new side hadn’t taken all three points.

He said: “How has it finished 1-1? I thought the boys were fantastic.”

“To put in place early what I’ve asked them to do in terms of structure and building an identity we want to get to, I’m pleased with them.”

“Every single one of them was superb. It’s really early days, so I’m not going to say we’ve solved anything at all.”

“But I am so optimistic about what this team can achieve at some stage.”

“I’ve seen the start of some good moves. If we put the finishing touches on things, I think we could have blown them away.”

“But let’s not get carried away. We’re 19th in the table. There’s a reason for that but it’s a great performance.”

“I think the fans can see what I’m trying to bring.”

Ainsworth now has a few days to prepare for two more away trips – starting with Salford City on Saturday and then Chesterfield on the following Tuesday.

Both will be huge challenges for a Gillingham side that have struggled to score goals away from home, but the new manager will welcome back captain Armani Little after he served the second game of his two match suspension last night after picking up ten yellow cards this season.

Picture supplied by Gillingham Football Club.