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Gillingham boss Justin Edinburgh calls on his side to be more ruthless after Barnet loss

Gillingham’s lack of cutting edge was Justin Edinburgh’s main gripe after Saturday’s defeat.

The Gills were beaten 2-0 by Barnet and Edinburgh blamed a lack of experience at the back for getting undone twice in the second half.

Edinburgh said: “We can’t get away from the fact that we conceded two goals but I know the reasons why.

Gillingham manager Justin Edinburgh Picture: Steve Crispe
Gillingham manager Justin Edinburgh Picture: Steve Crispe

“We have to be a little more cutting and clinical in the final third as we lead into the next two games.”

Edinburgh was measured after the defeat to League 2 Barnet, aware that there is still time to fine-tune his side before the season opener.

He said: “You have to put things into perspective. I told the players it has to matter because nobody likes losing but in the grand scheme of things, there were some positives to come out of it.

“For the first time a few of those players completed 90 minutes and we had no injuries.

“We had good periods in the first half, after the game settled down and I thought we were very bright, looked inventive and were exciting.

“But as the game grew on in the second half, the heat set in and what was highlighted in the two goals was the inexperience in the back line that we had.

“There are some things that we need to work on. We are starting to shift up the gears now to get up to speed for the first game of the season.

“You want perfection as soon as you can get it, there is no doubt about that. There is a lot to be excited about and there is a lot of thought from myself that I am liking what I am seeing.

“Nobody wants to see us concede the goals we did but there are reasons for that.

“We have to get the balance right. We have to be a bit more ruthless in that final third. We have to get the fine line and the balance right, so that we are not too intricate and have too many passes with no end product.

“We are learning. There are new players in the group and we are getting to know each other.”

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