Midfielder Mark Byrne admitted Gillingham were left deflated by Saturday’s defeat.

Gills’ players gave their all at Priestfield, and had chances to get something from the match against high-flying Ipswich, but lost the game to a single goal.

“Had we gone ahead first it might have been a different story,” said the Irishman.

“They grabbed a goal after a bit of sloppy defending from us but we gave a good go and the boys put a put a lot of effort.

"We were unlucky not to get something out of the game.

“Towards the end we were chasing it. We had a good few chances, a few crosses in the box and the ball just didn’t fall for us.”

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Asked how the players felt afterwards, he said: “The boys are wrecked and a bit deflated. I think we deserved at least a draw out of the game.

“They were a tough team to play against, they have some good players and they will probably be near the top come the end of the season.

"If we play like that most weeks we will do well.”

Byrne has managed to keep his place in the Gills team despite a big turnaround of personnel since Steve Evans took over as manager in the summer.

He was a substitute in the first two games but has since been an ever-present starter in the side.

Getting the team to gel is a key element and Byrne feels they are moving in the right direction.

He said: “It will take some time to get used to each other but I think we are doing all right at the moment.

“It is good for the lads that were here before to have a bit of competition, to keep you on your toes every week.

“You can see from training every week, it is high standards. Nobody is slacking, we just need to start picking up wins and push up that league.”

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