Boss Peter Taylor could have accepted losing to a wonder goal had Gills played better at Bristol City.

Simon Gillett’s 25-yard strike sent Gills home empty-handed, while Sam Baldock also took City’s opener well.

Taylor said: “We were beaten by two good finishes but if our performance had been better, then I’d have lived with that a little bit more. The performance has got to be better than that.”

Bristol City were expected to challenge for an instant return to the Championship after relegation last season but unhappy fans turned up at Ashton Gate with their team in the bottom four. It didn’t take much for the crowd to grow impatient after Charlie Lee’s second-half equaliser.

But by starting poorly, Gills missed the chance to get home supporters on City’s backs from the start. Taylor said: “That’s what we were hoping to do at 3pm.

“I wanted to start well, then make the Bristol City players nervous but it wasn’t the case.

“We allowed them to relax and play a bit of football and that’s why they had the better of the first half.”

Consistency remains a problem for Gillingham and, given their position in the league, Taylor has come to expect it.

He said: “At this level, in some ways, you’re never surprised.

“That goes for most managers in this division, unless you’re Kenny Jackett (at Wolves) or the manager of Brentford or the manager of Orient, who are probably getting more consistency out of their teams.”