Robbie McKenzie spoke to the media this week before another long trip north this weekend to Crewe Alexandra as Gillingham look to protect their position at the top of the League Two table. 

Reflecting on Tuesday’s disappointing home defeat to Grimsby Town, McKenzie told KSN, “You forget about last Saturday,” McKenzie admitted, he scored one and made the other in the two-nil win over Barrow that took the Gills top of the table.

McKenzie went on, “Now we forget about Tuesday and focus on Crewe on Saturday. It is just the way it is as games come thick and fast.” 

“When we’ve spoken about Tuesday, it’s been pointed out to us that sometimes you earn respect from teams and they play against you like Grimsby did and make them set up the way that they did, and I do think that we have to take that as a compliment and take confidence from it that a team has come and done that to us and tried to sit back and nick a win.” 

“But we must learn how to beat that in a way, we are not used to having to do that so much as other teams have in the League. We have to find the way that when teams do set up and let us have the ball and we must find that way of getting past them and getting the goals and getting the win.” 

“Maybe we did expect to face that sort of set up with the record that we have here at Priestfield, we know that we’re going to face teams who do that here this season, I think teams are going to give us respect because of where we are in the League, and we really must find a way to beat them!” 

“I do understand the fans frustrations at games like Tuesday, but they were brilliant, pushing us right to the end but unfortunately we could not get them the draw or even the win, but you could feel their support on the pitch, and it really does help!” 

We finished by asking why the Gills have now kicked towards the Rainham End first half every game after being told that skipper Max Ehmer has now lost all five-coin tosses at Priestfield this season.

Laughing, McKenzie said, “It worked for us the first few games of the season,” he joked.

“We started off really well as we have been turned round from kick off, it’s just been one of those things really! We will have to talk to the skipper.”