Gareth Ainsworth urges Gillingham fans to ‘stick with us’ after Northampton draw

Gillingham boss Gareth Ainsworth was convinced his side had enough chances to beat Northampton, but was thankful for a point after an entertaining 1-1 draw at Priestfield.

Conor McManus marked his first EFL start by firing the hosts into a welcome seventh-minute lead.

But Logan Briggs cancelled out the advantage shortly before the interval as the Cobblers hit back to earn a point on the road.

“We could have easily won that game, I thought we had the better chances,” Ainsworth said.

“If you had some of the players we have out at the moment, then we’re well away.

“Conor McManus has come in and scored his first goal on his full debut, which is great.

“There’s all sorts of positives to take from today. We had some really good attacking options.

“If we’d have had more chances we would have scored more goals, but that’s the issue now.

“But we’re creating chances and we’re having shots on target, which is important.

“I’m pleased with where we are, I thought we looked secure at the back.”

Gillingham have yet to win this season but Ainsworth is happy his team have picked up a point in each of their last two games.

“We just need that bit of luck in games. At the moment we seem to be losing players (through injury) rather than gaining players,” Ainsworth added.

“But I’m really pleased and, with one or two new faces coming in before next Tuesday, we’ll be in a good place.

“I think the fans can see what we’re trying to do. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, ‘stick with us’, because this will work.”

Northampton manager Chris Hogg said: “It was tough match. It was a really slow start from us, which is something I really didn’t anticipate with the way the training week has been and the group has been.

“But I thought we showed a really good response after I had to make a substitute in the first half.

“It was difficult conditions, the wind seemed to change direction every 10 seconds and Gillingham make it really tough for you.

“But listen, this group has got some real character. People have sometimes questioned that, but this football club has character.

“We need the fans to keep pushing the players because I see how good they are every day. If we keep building that character and spirit then we’ll be good.”

Hogg was disappointed his side conceded so early, but pleased with the character they showed to bounce back.

“It was a poor goal to concede from our point of view, but we’ve spoken about staying level in games – and I thought we showed a good response at the end of the first half.”