Gillingham boss Steve Lovell acknowledged their Boxing Day game against Oxford United wasn’t pretty.

But he was still pleased to have come away with something for their efforts, after Conor Wilkinson’s late goal levelled the score.

“It was a poor game,” he conceded.

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Report & Pictures: Gillingham 1 Oxford United 1

“We weren’t sharp and we looked heavy legged from the start. It is the first time I can say that, this year.

“Then again, you have to still try and get something out of it, so it was a point gained.”

Neither team impressed, not helped by a heavy pitch.

Lovell said: “What stood out a mile was the way we didn’t pass the ball as quickly as we normally do. In the last three away games we passed the ball really well.

“The bogginess of the pitch I think spoilt it, absolutely spoilt it as a spectacle and as a game of football for us.

“Tomas Holy (the Gills keeper) only had two saves to make, their keeper didn’t have saves to make. It was one of those games where a mistake or a bit of brilliance would win it. It wasn’t a very good game.

“I am disappointed with the fact that we didn’t win, but neither side did, the quality in the game wasn’t as good as it has been.”

Lovell made changes upfront to try and get the equaliser and while Wilkinson scored the equaliser, fellow sub Elliott List won a header from the corner the led to the goal and Greg Cundle also had a positive impact.

The manager said: “We had to change something, it wasn’t happening with the personnel we had on there.

“Those changes had a positive effect and the pleasing thing is we kept going, we didn’t give up, we kept believing we could get a goal.”