Gillingham striker Ronan Hale’s reaction to their 4-1 home defeat against Grimsby Town

Striker Ronan Hale says Gillingham must learn to respond better to setbacks after admitting their heads dropped during Saturday’s 4-1 defeat.

The striker pulled the Gills level against Grimsby Town after they had fallen behind in the first half, but three goals after the break left Gareth Ainsworth’s side suffering another heavy defeat at Priestfield.

Hale felt Gillingham had the momentum to push on after his equaliser but believes conceding a second goal, also from the penalty spot, had too great an impact on the team.

“We let our heads drop, and that can't be happening,” he said.

“To get ourselves level, I felt we could have kicked on and taken it to them. Second half, obviously, we gave the second goal away, a penalty, which ultimately shouldn't define the game. I feel that did.

“To lose 4-1 at home, it's not good enough, and hopefully we can put it right next week.”

The Gills had a chance to make a positive start to the second half, with Robbie McKenzie flashing a ball across the box. Hale narrowly missed connecting, while Conor McManus was unable to convert at the back post.

Hale felt that moment was key.

He said: “I thought that was the momentum changing. We could have kicked on from there.

“Obviously, we ended up giving a penalty away, which happens in games. After that, we shouldn't be letting our heads drop. We're going to have to watch it back and go through in fine detail.”

Manager Gareth Ainsworth said his players had been bullied, an assessment Hale agreed with.

“We didn't win enough second balls and stuff like that,” he said.

“League 2, that's what you've got to be doing, first and foremost, winning your duels against your opposition. I feel we didn't do that, but once we got it to 1-1, that's when we