Gillingham 0 Charlton 1: Match reaction from Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth after pre-season loss at Priestfield

Manager Gareth Ainsworth hailed Gillingham's youngsters after they stepped up against Championship opponents Charlton Athletic.

Gillingham had eight senior players out injured, and lost 1-0, but Ainsworth was keen to highlight the positive impact that those youngsters had after being thrown on in the second half.

Report: Gillingham 0 Charlton 1

The Gills ended the match with nine teenagers on the pitch, with rookie goalkeeper Lennon MacLorg and 23-year-old Nelson Khumbeni the oldest members of the team.

Ainsworth said: “I'm really happy with the performance and I think the fans were very right to applaud those youngsters off at the end. It's a big moment for them.

“I don't put any sort of massive emphasis on pre-season games. Not 3-0 in the week [at Dover], not 1-0 [against Charlton]. It's really irrelevant.

“It's performances, it's fitness, it's no injuries. We had a real bonus on 60 minutes with more or less our homegrown players coming on, with a couple of exceptions who weren't with us right from the start.

“It was absolutely fantastic to see some of the young boys come on and get some first-team experience. That's a first-team game in a pre-season friendly, brilliant, and I’m really proud of them.

“Me and [first-team coach] Pete [Gill] were shouting a lot. I didn't want them to sit back. I wanted them to be brave and have a go, and they did. We had some good chances there.”

The Gills conceded shortly after the changes, with the young side going 1-0 down from a corner on 65 minutes.

From then on, they settled into the game, and showed plenty of encouraging signs as the contest opened up.

“I think when they came on, they were a little bit in the headlights,” Ainsworth said.

“Charlton still had some good players