Gills boss Justin Edinburgh blamed individual errors for his side’s heavy defeat at Scunthorpe.

Apart from the goals conceded, Edinburgh didn’t see a lot wrong with his team’s performance.

He said: “It was unacceptable, disappointing and hard to take. We didn’t see it coming.

“People will probably laugh at me but for long periods of time we were comfortable but if you concede goals in the way we did, it tends to suck the life out of you and that’s what it did.”

The Gills went behind after just five minutes when keeper Stuart Nelson fumbled a shot.

Edinburgh said: “For many a game last year he was outstanding for us. The goals we conceded took the life out of us, you can’t legislate and you can’t fathom out why but we will have to address it, look at it and try and put things right.

“All of the goals were avoidable. There were two errors from Stuart, a free header where Emanuel (Osadebe) has let his runner off him and the penalty is avoidable, it was soft.

“Everything was avoidable. It wasn’t through any good play. It was through poor decision making and individual errors.

“We had a bit of life second half but the fourth goal goes in and it takes everything out of you.”

Asked if the Gills lacked leaders, Edinburgh said: “I think we have more leaders (this season) and bigger personalities. It wasn’t about leaders. If Stuart was in form we wouldn’t have lost that game.”