Stephen Clemence’s first win in the league as Gillingham head coach came at Priestfield against Salford City

Head coach Stephen Clemence admitted to a few pre-match nerves ahead of his first league game at Priestfield - which ended in a win.

Clemence is in his first job as the no.1 man after over a decade working as an assistant coach and was looking forward to taking charge of his first league game at Priestfield on Saturday.

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“I am not going to lie, I had a few butterflies coming into the game,” he said.

“You want to get your first league win as soon as possible. Everyone I spoke to who has managed or is still a manager said the same to me, they said the feeling never seems to change and I am starting to understand that a little bit more.

“You have a feeling where you know you have that responsibility on your shoulders and you want to do well for the football club.

“I want to do well for the owners, I want to to do well for the supporters and I want to do well for the players, I want to make my family proud, all those things.

“I probably felt those (same feelings) a long, long time ago when I was just starting out as a Premier League footballer. I wasn’t a nervous player once I started to get some experience.

“I probably had some nerve-racking games when I was involved with Steve (Bruce) in play-off games but you don’t get them all of the time but it just tells you that you want to do well doesn’t it ? When you get those feelings, is shows you are really hungry to do well.”

As a head coach, Clemence has more time to think pre-match.

He said: “Normally I am quite involved in warming the players up but I have been doing that for over a decade and now all of a sudden I am left in my office on my own and everyone tries to leave me alone, but I am preparing what I am going to say to the players