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‘Three poor teams’ was how Stevenage boss Steve Evans described the match against his old side Gillingham.
Evans felt Saturday's encounter was a scrappy game, was disappointed in the quality shown from his own men and certainly annoyed at the officials - believing his visiting Stevenage side should have had two penalties.
It was Evans’ first time back at Priestfield after two and a half years in charge of the Gills. The 1-1 draw kept his Stevenage team top of League 2.
Reacting, Evans said: “We said to the boys all week it’s cup final day isn’t it? Steve Evans comes to Priestfield and Neil (Harris) doesn’t need to do a team-talk, really.
“I thought two teams worked really hard, it was a poor spectacle if you are watching as a neutral in blustery conditions. If I summed it up, three poor teams. We were poor, Gillingham aren’t a good team and the officials were shocking.
“We are not questioning effort, determination, wanting to win, we had two penalties second half (that weren’t awarded), certainly the one on (Alex) Gilbey is clear-cut. I thought we had a bad day from the official (Ross Joyce). Am I questioning the integrity? No, FA, I am not, I am just saying that he is not very good most times we get him.
“We scored against the run of play, not wanting to get people carried away in Kent thinking that Gillingham dominated the game, it was scrappy, nothing in it, we scored and to be fair, they got back in it with nothing in the game.”
Evans swapped a defender for a midfielder in the second half and Stevenage asked plenty of questions but the Gills stood strong. Late in the game Harris switched formation to shore up his defence and keep hold of the point.
“We tried to win it second half, we made positive changes, we make the big chances,” Evans said. “Jordan (Roberts) should score, or hit the target (when one-on-one with the Gills keeper). A couple of penalties were not given and we take the point.
“We didn’t do enough, there were some poor performances in terms of quality, but nothing in the effort and desire, we were the team trying to win it on 95 minutes.”
Stevenage were favourites to win against a Gills team who had improved of late but are still a long way from where they want to be.
Evans accepted his old team deserved credit for the performance.
He said: “I think that they will be shouting from the rooftops that they are unbeaten in nine [It's one defeat in nine for Gills in all competitions] but if you are Neil (Harris) and you get beaten every week it is credit to him, he has shored them back up, he has gone for a competitive side and they will compete in most games.
“I do give credit to them, there were a lot of players that probably got told they were poor players last summer, Ehmer was good, MacDonald was their best player for long spells, Mandron is a good player, Shaun Williams is a bit of class, a good goalkeeper, they have lots of good players.
"They won’t finish where they are [currently 18th in the table], they will finish higher for me, they are competitive, but I don't really care, I have no interest in it, only Stevenage.
“We take the point and go back up to Hertfordshire disappointed.”
Evans let assistant boss Paul Raynor do much of the coaching from the sidelines but it got a bit heated at the end, the former Gills boss complaining a “junior member” of the home backroom team insulted him.
“He called me the customary name that I can’t repeat,” Evans said. “I have never seen him before. I don’t have a clue who he was.”
Evans ended up being cautioned by referee Joyce as he and Raynor quizzed the official at the final whistle. The teams meet again in Stevenage on New Year’s Day.
