What Steve Evans had to say about Gillingham's draw at Portsmouth

Steve Evans lauded Gillingham’s ‘magnificent’ defensive performance at Fratton Park.
Gillingham manager Steve Evans. Picture: Graham Hunt/ProSportsImagesGillingham manager Steve Evans. Picture: Graham Hunt/ProSportsImages
Gillingham manager Steve Evans. Picture: Graham Hunt/ProSportsImages

The Priestfield outfit frustrated Pompey to earn a 0-0 draw on Saturday.

Despite the Blues having 69 per cent of possession, the Gills were unable to be breached.

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A combination of several smart saves from keeper Jack Bonham, an organised rearguard and an attacking display from Pompey that lacked real penetration meant Gillingham returned to Kent with a point.

The visitors recorded a third clean sheet of the campaign and Evans felt his troops deserved their result.

He told kentonline.co.uk: ‘We went with the intention of winning and we knew they were not in the best of form and at home it’s been a bit of an Achilles heel for them but any team that has Kenny Jackett as a manager is going to be organised and efficient.

‘With that support they have it makes it tough but it is a point earned rather than two dropped.

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‘I thought defensively, in terms of our shape and how we played, it was a magnificent performance. They didn’t have anything to do when they had the ball. They had nowhere to go.

‘We started working after Oxford (a 3-0 away defeat) on a particular style, a particular shape, in terms of playing out of possession and they have taken it on board, apart from one header from a set play and that was the only disappointment.

‘From an attacking point of view when we got in good areas we just took an extra touch, or ran into an extra body, but we were at least worthy of a point.’

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