An “unbelievably poor” first half at Oldham left Gillingham’s new head coach Ady Pennock disappointed.

He was hoping the Gills would kick off a new challenge for the play-offs with a win on Saturday but instead watched his inherited team struggle against the division’s basement side.

He said: “First half we weren’t good enough. It was so poor. We were unbelievably poor.

“Second half we were better but I don’t think we could have got any worse.

“I’m bitterly disappointed. I am a supporter as well and the first half was not acceptable, I didn’t know what was going on to be honest.

“They had men in their side and we didn’t.

“You have to roll up your sleeves at those kind of places, it doesn’t have to be pretty. That first-half performance wasn’t acceptable.

“We had fans travelling up to the game and paying a lot of money, going a long way. It was not acceptable.”

Despite a poor showing, the Gills still had chances in the match.

Pennock said: “Overall maybe we deserved something from the game, but first half, wow, it was phenomenally poor.”

The Gills had shouts for a penalty in the second half, twice, both for incidents involving Bradley Dack.

Gillingham’s playmaker was booked for simulation after going down for the second time, but Pennock said: “I thought the first challenge on Dack was a penalty.

“He’s an honest boy and he got barged over for the first one.

“We couldn’t really see the second one where he got booked for simulation. The first one was definitely a pen.

“But that’s the referee’s decision and you have to move on.”