Gillingham manager Andy Hessenthaler blamed his team’s lack of belief in attack for their 1-0 defeat at Southend in League 2.

The Gills failed to find the target from open play for a fourth match running and that failure to convert chances proved costly at Roots Hall on Tuesday night.

Southend won the match with three minutes of normal time left from a corner.

“That was hard to take,” said Hessenthaler. “We were well in the game and quite happy at half-time. We worked them perhaps more than they worked us and I would like to see the stats.

“Second half it was not too bad but the quality in the final third wasn’t good enough. We have had enough chances to win and there was not enough belief in the final third.

“I am disappointed with that and the one set play at the end, we can’t defend. People have their jobs to do and the fella has a free header.

“There is no point in us being on the training ground and working on set-plays, defensively and for, if we don’t do our jobs. I thought Garry Richards defended well all night but he has not picked him up and the fella has punished us.”

The home side played half of the second half with 10 men following the dismissal of striker Bilel Mohsni.

Hessenthaler said: “We weren’t good enough with 11 men. We ended up humping balls in there, which played into their hands, instead of using the extra man.

“It’s not easy to play against 10 men and when they went down it gave them a lift and it was like siege mentality. They had nothing to lose then and they were the better team.

“Their keeper made some fantastic saves in the second half and we had opportunities but there wasn’t enough belief and we need to be killing teams off.

“We keep saying about lessons to be learned but we keep doing it. I feel a bit for us defensively because we have limited them and had enough opportunities to score goals but there was a lack of quality and belief and that has ultimately cost us the game.”

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