Gillingham caretaker boss Steve Lovell admitted the team lacked the quality needed to finish Shrewsbury off on Tuesday night.

Lovell’s team had more of the ball and created many more openings than the visitors but managed just a couple of shots on target and failed to score.

• Report: Gills 0 Shrewsbury 0

“We worked hard and I couldn't fault their commitment,” Lovell said, after his third game in charge as interim boss.

“They didn’t hurt us at all, we had a few attempts on goal, it was one of those games where we had quite a bit of possession, mainly in the second half, but in the final third we didn’t produce what we had done in the previous two games and that is a disappointing fact.

“We have scored in the other games but conceded and this time we kept a clean sheet and have not scored, there is an improvement on one side but not the other, we will try and put it all together but I can’t fault the boys, they gave everything. That is all you can ask.

“We just lacked a bit of quality at times, we don’t use the full width of the pitch quick enough as we should do and it is something we will try and address, with the way we play that is our outlet and when we did we caused them problems. It will come, it will take a bit of time, but personnel have changed a bit again with John (Akinde) and Dan (Phillips) coming in and he did a sound job.

“We will keep working and grafting and hopefully the results will come. It only needs a goal on Saturday (at home to Oxford United) to lift everyone.”

Gillingham’s best moments came within seconds of each other as Danny Lloyd hit a free-kick from distance against the woodwork and Olly Lee had a looping shot tipped over the bar. John Akinde also blazed a good chance over.

“Quality comes from confidence,” Lovell said. “When you are getting results and winning, confidence is there, and when you are down the bottom and you haven’t won a game for a number of games, it drains away from you.

“All credit to the boys, as the game went on they were starting to pick up and we just needed something to fall for us in the box, a chance to go in, it just lifts everyone. It didn’t happen but I always take positives out of everything, it is a point, a clean sheet and we are off the bottom of the table. We take those three things out of it. Obviously we all want to win games, we need to win games, but it is a start and we have 19 cup finals left.”