Gillingham defender Garry Richards says players need to pull together after AFC Wimbledon defeat
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by Luke Cawdell
Gillingham defender Garry
Richards has called on his team-mates to "man up" following
Saturday’s 4-3 defeat at home to AFC Wimbledon.
The centre-back wasn’t holding
back in his critical appraisal of the performance, which left Gills
sitting outside the play-off positions in League 2.
He said: "We have put ourselves
in a position where we wouldn’t have thought we would be a couple
of weeks ago. But we are the people who put ourselves there and we
are the people who need to get ourselves out of it. It’s time to
man up.
"We need to be critical and you
have to be a man to take the criticism. We all take the plaudits
and the pats on the back when they come our way, everyone is
willing to accept them, so you have to take the criticism as
well."
Gillingham conceded four goals
in the final half-hour at Priestfield to lose 4-3.
Richards (pictured) added:
"As a team, defensively, we switched off for all four goals and it
was real schoolboy stuff.
"It is hard to get our heads
around it because it wasn’t as if they were creating chances and
openings at ease. It was just poor and it comes down to mentality
and we switched off. To allow it to happen is a bit
embarrassing."
The defeat leaves the Gills 11
points off the top three places with 20 games left.
Richards isn’t giving up hope,
but knows the performances must improve.
He said: "It is not impossible.
We never give up hope, I certainly don’t.
"Between now and the end of the
season we need to pull together and I am sure we will."
Monday, January 23 2012
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