Gillingham assistant manager Ian Hendon says Gills have to turn Priestfield into a fortress in League 2 next season
Published: 09:31, 20 June 2011
by Matthew Panting
Gillingham assistant boss Ian Hendon knows they need to get back to their Priestfield best during the new League 2 campaign.
The Gills took just two points from their last four home games last season to effectively end their hopes of a play-off place, with the run including successive 4-2 defeats to Barnet and Macclesfield.
With the new season starting and finishing at Priestfield for the Gills, Hendon insisted that they need to get their home form right.
"Looking through the list it’s nice to see how things are going to pan out and I was surprised that we start and finish at home – it’s been kind to us in that respect," said Hendon.
"We need to start brighter and get going as it took us 13 games last season – it’s important how we start.
"It was amazing how the season turned for us (at home). Maybe when we came up against the likes of Barnet and Macclesfield we tried to win the game too much.
"A lot of the season I know we weren’t the most exciting team at home but we defended well and stayed in games, then picked teams off.
"But towards the end of the season when we had to maintain our play-off push we became expansive and were punished badly.
"As a coaching team, we are aware of where we went wrong and we want to get back to making Priestfield a fortress."
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KentOnline reporter