Gillingham boss 'angry' at 'criminal' defending but backs 'very good' Chesterfield for play-offs

The 52-year-old was full of praise for the Spireites, who ran out 1-0 winners on Tuesday night, at the SMH Group Stadium. The victory meant the Blues jumped up two places into sixth in the table and they are now five unbeaten.

He said: “It is another set-piece that we have conceded against a team that I believe will be in the play-offs,” Ainsworth said. “I think they are one of the better teams in the league, I really do. I think they are very good going forward.

"Paul Cook has been around, he has got some good players and he has done this over four years now – they have got some household players – and that is where I want to get to with my team."

The Gills had some early pressure with several long throws but they conceded down the other end after 16 minutes when Liam Mandeville’s corner was flicked on by Sil Swinkels and finished by Sam Curtis. Not for the first time this season the Gills were undone by a corner and it left Ainsworth ‘angry’ and ‘frustrated’, describing their defending as ‘criminal.’

"There are a few moments before the goal that I am angry with,” Ainsworth said. “We just can’t keep conceding from set-pieces – it is criminal. “It is frustrating because we limited their chances until we opened up and went for it at the end and they slid a couple in.

"I thought for the first 15 minutes we were superb but then one moment we let them in and they got a leg up and you can’t let that happen away from home at Chesterfield. They are a very good side. We are still a little bit off from where I want to be.

"We gave it everything tonight but we just came up short against a very good Chesterfield side. I thought they ground us down in the first-half and then in the second-half we threw a lot at them but sometimes the quality was not there at the end and we have got to be better than that.

"Today we were just a bit short on some quality stuff and we have let a set-piece again and that is criminal at this level. At this level, set-pieces are huge, absolutely huge, even in the Premier League you see games are won and lost on set-piece.”

Tom Naylor, Tom Pearce and Dylan Duffy all came close to extending Chesterfield’s lead but, in the end, one goal was enough against a Gills side who are 14th.

Ainsworth added: "We changed to a five at the back today because I thought that would limit them and I think it worked but it also took away a little bit of attacking prowess away from us.”