Ady Pennock admitted he feared the worst on Sunday.

A midweek win for Port Vale had kept the relegation battle alive, meaning the Gills still needed to beat Northampton to guarantee their safety.

The Gills had an early penalty saved and were left waiting for five minutes on news from Vale’s game at Fleetwood before safety was confirmed.

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Pennock said: “The wait was horrible and I had to walk inside. With what has happened in the last 12 weeks or so, I thought Port Vale would score. It would be just one of those things after what had gone on.”

Wright scored a hat-trick of penalties earlier this season but had his ninth-minute effort saved at Northampton.

“It was typical that,” added Pennock. “Josh Wright has scored some unbelievable goals at important times and that would have been nice had it gone in but I am not putting any blame on Josh.

“We deserved the three points, nobody would have argued had we won. It was typical of us to go to the last minute and to be waiting for the other game.”

It was an emotional end to the season for Pennock, who came close to breaking down during his post-match radio interview, cutting it short after struggling for words.

He said: “I’m emotional and this game is phenomenal, you can be so happy one minute and down the other. That is why we love it.

“It was a rollercoaster. I am happy we have stayed in this league, which is what we wanted to do.

“We have been tested massively and that is in the changing room as well as off it. I am just pleased for everyone. I was just desperate for us to score for the fans because they have been fantastic.”