Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth was encouraged by their second-half display at Shrewsbury Town and hopes for more of the same at Colchester United

Gillingham boss Gareth Ainsworth has called for more of the same at Colchester after his side responded to a half-time scolding last weekend.

The Gills produced a second-half performance at Shrewsbury that delighted Ainsworth, recovering from a 3-1 half-time deficit to draw 3-3.

While the first half had been poor, it was the second 45 minutes that left Ainsworth begging for more.

“We’ll be ready for Colchester and hopefully we can take the second half into that game, because that was way good enough for League 2,” he said.

“What I’m really pleased with is the way we played second half. I think that we’re seeing glimpses now of how I want it to be and that was good.

“We were on the front foot. We didn’t drop our standards. They got a rollicking at half-time. They got a rollicking at full-time. But we went home with a point, and it was a brilliant comeback. The spirit in that camp is second to none.”

The Gills have made a habit of having to come back in games. They’ve come from behind to earn points against Accrington, Tranmere, Bromley, Cheltenham, Barnet and Shrewsbury and won at Newport.

They were two goals behind twice against Shrewsbury last weekend but recovered to draw - something Ainsworth has taken the positives from.

“I’ll take that,” he said. “Because we’re a side that, even when they scored after five minutes [last Saturday], I’m thinking, ‘there’s plenty of time here’.

“I know my side. Even at 2-0, I’m thinking, ‘I know my side, we can get back’. At 2-1, I’m thinking, ‘here we go’. I’m always confident that we can get back in games and do things, because I know my team.

“It looked like a real tall order to get back in the game at 2-0. The wind was in our face, but I always knew it would turn around. I knew we