A goalkeeping error put the Gills on the backfoot against Coventry but few impressed boss Steve Evans in the opening half.

Evans was frustrated with his side’s first half efforts but glad they made a game of it after the break.

Despite the improvements, the Gills couldn’t find a goal, however, and what Evans felt was a deserving share of the spoilt.

Report: Coventry 1 Gillingham 0

“It was a game of two halves,” said the Gills boss.

“They were much better than us first half, the desire to get on the ball and their creativity was very good, very good for this level, but it still takes a huge error for them to score a goal.

“When goalkeepers make errors you get punished don’t you? He came straight in at half-time and held his hands up and when someone does that you know you have got some integrity. We just don’t want him doing it too many more times.

“I said to some of the boys, you can’t just turn up in the second half and decide to play in a football match and win it

“We got in at half-time, we change the system a bit. Second half there was one team trying to play and one team trying to score a goal.

“Their goalkeeper made a stunning save from Mika (Ndjoli) from his free-kick. We have had lots of possession around the 18 yard box, without carving them open.”

Despite the better second half, Evans was angered that his team hadn’t started properly.

He said: “You can’t turn up and play like that for 45 and try and win a game. You could see how they were trying to kill it in the last 15 minutes and they did it very well, to be fair to them, because there was one team in the ascendancy.

“Nothing fell for us and we are just going to have to work through it.

“Games are always about goals and you have to break down how goals come and how they don’t come. We’ve made a huge error and it’s an own goal, it’s not their goal.

“We had enough good possession second half, got into good areas to have at least scored a goal or two.”

Evans made an early change on Saturday, replacing Regan Charles-Cook with Ndoli. The player leaving the field had been recalled after missing out on Tuesday because of injury.

The Gills boss said: “I decided to bring Regan in, he missed out midweek. I am not quite sure how fit he was, he tells up he was 100% but he came off after 30 minutes.

“I am not questioning his integrity, he wants to play, but I thought when we made the changes the boys gave a reaction. We said we needed a reaction but credit to Coventry, they have spent a lot of money.”