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Gillingham manager Steve Evans didn’t want to hear the final whistle on Saturday after watching his side finish on top at Hull.
The Gills had levelled the match and watched the hosts miss several good chances before hitting the woodwork themselves with the last kick from returning striker Dominic Samuel.
The Gills went close in the opening seconds and hit the woodwork soon after before Hull took a ninth minute lead. Olly Lee equalised to make it 1-1 and both teams will feel they had the chances to win.
“We are frustrated,” said Evans afterwards.
“They had one or two chances in the game and will be disappointed with their finishing but the longer the game went on it looked as if we would win.
“We knew how big a win it would have been, people can say what they like but we tried to win the game, 90 plus minutes and we’re putting balls into the box and running so hard and it is a fraction, it hits the inside of the post and the goalkeeper scoops it up, the ball is halfway over but it’s not in, but that was a big opportunity. In two weeks’ time Dominic Samuel (who has just come back from injury) scores that.”
Gillingham started the match strongly, with those early chances.
Evans said: “We started the game really well, we should be infront inside a minute, John (Akinde) had a good chance, we seemed to be playing ping pong on the line after seven or eight minutes, with chances to put us infront but unfortunately their first meaningful attack Tom Eaves scored and it is something our young centre back will learn from and do better with.
“Second part of the first half it became two teams committed but not really making chances at either end of the pitch.
“Second half I said to the boys there was so much more to come from us, we could changed shape, change personnel, the pressure sat with Hull, not us and we got the goal. If it wasn’t a goal I think it was a penalty, Vadaine Oliver is hauled to the ground just before the goal. Jack Tucker makes amends by winning a great header and Olly with a great finish.
“Hull gambled a bit I think, we heard the message come down that (title rivals) Peterborough were winning comfortably, they were stretching us at times but they were also wary of us on the counter attack and from two or three set plays we should score.
“Right at the end Dominic misses the chance of the game but I am not going to be highly critical of him because he is two or three weeks ahead of schedule.”
Gillingham weren’t content with the point at Hull, pushing right to the end to score a winner. Samuel’s chance came as Ryan Jackson threw a long ball into the box, rather than playing safe.
Evans said: “Teams might break from it and score but we want to put it in the box, whether that’s five to go or last seconds, we are going to put the ball in the box and cause them problems and we did. We should score from it and we know we should win but we didn’t win.”
