Andy Hessenthaler praised the belief in his team after they came from behind to beat Barnet on Tuesday.

The Gills boss said: “Maybe a few weeks ago we might have crumbled a bit after going behind but it just shows there is a lot of belief in the dressing room.

“We’ve sat down and talked about things and worked very hard on the training ground and it’s coming to fruition. It’s credit to all of the players.

“To have been 1-0 down at half-time was obviously disappointing. We had two or three good chances but the goal we gave away was unfortunate.

“We started slow in the second half but got the goal and then went on from there.”

The Gillingham manager, who spent time at Barnet during his latter playing years, was facing his predecessor Mark Stimson at Barnet’s Underhill but Hessenthaler was keen to let the football dominate the show.

Hessenthaler said: “We shook hands before and he said ‘well done’ afterwards.

“I’ve known Mark for some years and I have a lot of time for him so it’s just about a football match.

“The circumstance with Mark leaving and me coming back to the club got hyped up but it’s about a game of football.”

And Hessenthaler was thrilled by the backing his team received.

He said: “The fans were absolutely outstanding and they nearly filled the ground.

“They were first class and it was like the good old days.”

Stimson, whose two and a half year spell at the club ended in relegation, was surprised at the reaction he received from the Gillingham fans.

He said: “I was amazed at the lack of abuse I got if I’m honest. That was surprising but then again there might have been a fair few there that appreciated what I tried to do at Gillingham.

“The big picture is that at the beginning of the season we were favourites to go down and they were favourites to go up.

“We gave them a game but didn’t play anywhere near good enough and we just have to improve in our next batch of games.”

Andy Hessenthaler with former Gillingham manager Mark Stimson, now in charge of Barnet, at Underhill before last night's game. Picture: Barry Goodwin