'I wish it went differently' - Gareth Ainsworth's 'restricted' suggestion as he addresses Shrewsbury Town exit
Former boss Gareth Ainsworth insists he 'wished it went differently' at Shrewsbury Town after his sudden exit last season.
Ainsworth, the charismatic experienced former Wycombe and QPR boss, spent barely four months in Shropshire midway through last season.
He decided to call time on his Town stint with the club battling against relegation from League One. Five wins and five draws from 22 games in charge had given Shrewsbury some hope of beating the drop after Ainsworth replaced Paul Hurst in November.
But a sudden departure for Gillingham, who at the time were a league below Shrewsbury in League Two, left the club and supporters reeling after being promised the full buy-in from Ainsworth.
Ainsworth suggested a pitch from the Gills' ambitious American owners tempted him down to Kent.
Asked by the Mirror if he feels a pressure to vindicate his move from Shrewsbury to Gillingham, Ainsworth said: "No, not at all."
The former Town chief suggested he was hampered by terms in his contract regarding what could have been said publicly - and added he has no personal issues with the decision he made to move so quickly.
Ainsworth walked out of Shrewsbury just before it emerged a period of exclusivity ended in the failed takeover from an unnamed United States businessman.
Ainsworth insisted he "brought into the journey" at "nice place to live" Shrewsbury. He has no interest in barbs about a lack of loyalty, insisting he has 'nothing to prove'.
"Managers are restricted in what they can say with their contracts, I wish I could have said a lot more," he added.
"My justification for coming to Gillingham sits well with me, no problem at all.
"I'm on a journey and I bought into the journey at Shrewsbury, I wish it went differently, it was a nice place to live.
"People will laugh and say I'm not loyal but you've got the wrong guy, I don't need to prove anything to anyone."
Gillingham are among the bookmakers' favourites for promotion from the fourth tier, though Ainsworth suggested he was bemused by those odds given his new club 'have not spent millions'.
Ainsworth - the frontman in his rock band The Cold Blooded Hearts - added: "It's flattering but I don't know where the substance in that has come from. We haven't made £1million signings, we've signed three players.
"Thank you but we're focusing on the journey, it's a two-year project centred around improving, the next level is way down the line for me."
