By Luke Cawdell

Andy Hessenthaler was proud of his team’s performance after battling against the odds to take maximum points on Saturday.

The Gills played nearly half the game with 10 men and ended it with nine against an Oxford side that asked serious questions at the other end.

Gills boss Hessenthaler (pictured) was thrilled to see his team keep their opponents out and claim a second straight win to leave his side sitting fifth in League 2.

“They got a big pat on the back from me; I was proud of them,” he said.

“I am sure the fans will go home saying the players couldn’t have given any more. They were outstanding and they worked their socks off for the club.”

Hessenthaler admitted the dismissals of Joe Martin and Lewis Montrose, both for mistimed challenges, were warranted but refused to be over-critical of the pair.

“Joe’s first one (challenge) was silly,” said the Gills boss. “He was having a mad five minutes, he had switched off a few times and was letting balls go out of play. He ended up getting booked and that’s cost him.

“He says he got the ball (for the second challenge). I don’t know. When you are on a booking you have to be careful and I would like to see it again.”

Montrose was sent off with 88 minutes gone - having got through plenty of work in the match for the Gills.

“The kid has given everything in the second half and who am I to tell people not to make challenges?” said Hessenthaler.

“I was the worst. You only have to look at my disciplinary record. It is difficult for me to crucify the fella. It was a little bit of inexperience and it looked worse than it was perhaps.

“We will have to take that one and he will learn from it but I am not going to criticise him too much because the lad won us the game with the goal and his effort in midfield when we were down to 10 men was phenomenal.”

The Gills played most of the second half with Jo Kuffour as the lone striker in attack and Hessenthaler was delighted with the way the forward helped keep the ball in Oxford’s half.

He said: “We dropped off and let Kuffour do what he did to their back four on his own and he was outstanding. They couldn’t handle him. He was different class.

“He got the man-of-the-match, rightly so, although for me they all were, with the way they dug in as a group.”

Picture: Barry Goodwin

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