Nutter's Natter with Gillingham defender John Nutter
08:00, 22 January 2010
It's been a disappointing week and after a long break waiting for a game, we felt fresh and were looking forward to two tough games. Unfortunately we didn’t get the results we wanted.
We had no time to dwell on Saturday’s result against Swindon as we travelled north for Accrington to try to win the chance to play Fulham at home in the FA Cup.
We knew what to expect - a lot of second balls, a difficult pitch and a hard working Accrington side desperate to win.
We never got going all evening and we need to feel disappointed and angry with how we played.
We simply didn’t perform to the level we are capable of and let the staff, the fans and ourselves down. We’re fortunate in football in that we have an opportunity to get ourselves back on track quickly with a game against high-flying Colchester.
They were beaten soundly by Norwich on Saturday and will be looking for a response. We must rise to the challenge and show what we are capable of.
We played them early on in the season and battered them and should have come away with at least a point. We will be looking to put that right this weekend.
Looking back at last weekend, we were facing a Swindon side who are on a terrific run, having won eight out of the last 10 games.
We more than matched them in the first half and felt hard done by that we didn’t go into half-time on level terms.
We came out for the second half looking to force our way back into things but unfortunately we conceded from a set-piece which was disappointing.
That was a big blow and Swindon made it hard for us after that, winning a soft penalty and putting the game out of reach.
We kept going, though, and pulled a goal back after a good strike from Chrissy.
Considering Swindon sit comfortably in the top six, I thought it showed that gap of quality is very small. It’s just the consistency we must find if we want to be at the top end of the table.
We have players nearing fitness now and they will be like new signings when you think how long they have been missing. Hopefully they’ll help us climb the table. It’s also January and I’m sure the gaffer will be trying to strengthen if he can, which will also help our push for improvement and development as a team.
Bring your voices again on Saturday and let’s get back on track.
E-mail your comments and questions to John Nutter atjnutter@thekmgroup.co.uk