After starting the last two Gillingham games that has seen John Coleman come agonisingly close to his first win as Gills boss, left back Max Clark has been looking ahead to this weekend’s long trip to Cumbria to face Carlisle United.
The Gills travel north, buoyed by points against leaders Walsall and Crewe Alexandra, still looking for their first win in eleven games and a run that now goes back to before Christmas and the win at MK Dons, but as Clark told us this week, there is an optimism that wasn’t there a few short weeks ago!
“Since the Walsall game,” Clark said, “I feel that we now believe we can go on and win games.
“We went behind at Walsall, but we didn’t back off, we kept on going and found a way to score a goal and try to get the win – I think that has changed recently.
“Before when we conceded first it felt like “is that again?” But now it feels like we will find a way of overturning the disappointment. We were going for the game at Walsall, last ten minutes we were throwing everything at it but it just wasn’t going in.
“On Saturday you saw it again, but we do believe that we are going to go on and win games. The boss gives the mentality that you are never finished in a game regardless of the score as you go to the end.
“I think that he has that die-hard in him of going right to the end, they are bringing into us the ruthlessness that we need to go on and win games, the Gaffer is a winner and a proper winner, and trust me if he’s not happy, he’s the first person to tell you!”
Turning the conversation to the weekend, Clark told us, “It will be a good game Saturday I think as they’ve got in a very experienced manager (former Welsh International Mark Hughes) so it will be tough game after a long trip, but we seem to be used to them at the moment!
“It’ll be no different to most away games, a tough game as they will be looking to have a bounce for their new manager. We’ve played well last couple of games and we’re looking forward to it and will be going there for the win.”
“The level and the commitment in those last two games was there and it’s frustrating that I thought we could have beaten both and come away with three points from both games.
“In those last two games, it’s clear how we are now working for each other, passing it around better, getting in their faces more and backed each other up, which I feel that this is what Gillingham is now. The fans love when they see the players working hard and for each other, working for the team and the club, the fans were really backing us on Saturday – we heard it a lot – and it just shows that by doing that these fans will always be there for us!”
“I think it’s been down to just a little bit of quality when we do get the ball which is something that we have to tighten up on, we know that and it could be better but the hard work and the determination to go and get the ball back has been much better last two games.
“I feel that we have been very unlucky that we haven’t been able to win either if not both of them, we’re not that far off winning a game and how one didn’t go in weekend, I don’t know so we’ll have to make sure one does at the weekend.”