Barrow 0 Gillingham 1: Reaction from Gills boss Gareth Ainsworth after League 2 win

Gillingham boss Gareth Ainsworth celebrated Saturday’s winning goal in front of the away fans and thanked them for their backing.

Ainsworth made six changes to his team from the previous weekend, after his side were booed off at the end of a 3-0 loss to Oldham. It was a completely different feel this weekend as a late Robbie McKenzie goal clinched a 1-0 win at Barrow.

Report: Barrow 0 Gillingham 1

The Gills boss admitted he didn’t even know who scored the winner at the time, as he ran over to celebrate with the 237 travelling supporters.

“I hope nobody left early,” joked the Gills boss. “I hope the 237 were right there at the end because they would have missed out on a treat.

“I wish [the goal] had been [scored] in front of them, but to see it flying there. I didn't know who'd scored it. Me and [goalkeeper coach] Deren ran to the fans to say ‘Thank you’. Thank you for sticking with us. Thank you for turning up.

“There could have been 30 people there thinking, ‘That was rubbish last week against Oldham - ‘what's the point?’ Because it's your club and I love managing your club and I will put it on teams and we'll go together on this journey.

“There was relief and a thankfulness to the fans. It hurt me last week. It did. With near enough 700 games [as manager] I should be able to brush that off. But it does. It hurts. It hurts a lot.

“I am an emotional guy. I live on making people happy and trying to do things for people. When the fans went like that at the end [last Saturday], I'm like, ‘I let them down as much as anyone’.

“That's a payback. Thank you for staying with me, the ones who came up and thank you to the ones who are going to come next week against Fleetwood.

“It was outstanding. A really, really good feeling