Gills boss Justin Edinburgh admitted the penalty miss against Walsall changed everything.

His side had started positively but when Luke Norris’ spot-kick was saved after 23 minutes the game swung in Walsall’s favour.

From that point on the Gills never regained control.

Edinburgh said: “Fine margins change games. It probably would have rocked them a lot more (had we scored) and we would have gained confidence.

“Goals change games and I felt they grew and we lost a little belief. That is something we will have a look at, analyse it and dissect.

“It had a big say in the game because it rocked us, put us on our heels and Walsall gained from it. They finished the first half stronger than us and maintained that in the second half.”

Walsall struck twice in a second half that Edinburgh felt was Gills’ worst of the season, in terms of keeping the ball.

He said: “I am extremely hurt, disappointed, flat, low, everything that you can imagine and as I am feeling, I am sure the players are the same and so are the fans.

“It is a tough one to take. Not really in terms of our second-half performance, but for the first 30 minutes we were very good and I think, it is no criticism, but the penalty certainly had a swing and a change in the game.

“We lost confidence, they gained it, and certainly it is as poor as we have been, probably throughout the season, in the second half."