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Gillingham striker Tom Eaves says side's resilience at Fleetwood bodes well for rest of the season

Tom Eaves was two minutes away from being the matchwinner at Fleetwood on Saturday.

It was tough to take on the Gills, conceding in the first of three added-on minutes, but Eaves could see the positives.

Eaves, who took his goal tally to 18 for the season with his 83rd-minute header to put Gillingham in front, said: “It felt like a loss when we stepped off the pitch but we can have a bigger outlook. We have to take the point.

Gillingham striker Tom Eaves rues a missed opportunity at Fleetwood on Saturday Picture: Ady Kerry
Gillingham striker Tom Eaves rues a missed opportunity at Fleetwood on Saturday Picture: Ady Kerry

“You stand back and think we’ve gone there and got a point and they all add up.

“Performance-wise we battled well and it wasn’t a pretty game. The take home for us was the character we showed and the resilience, I thought we defended fantastically.”

Fleetwood scored their equaliser with a free-kick that was bent into the top corner.

Eaves said: “Unfortunately there wasn’t much we could do about the free-kick. He put it into the top corner.

“That was annoying but we just have to look to the next game on Saturday against Oxford and keep putting points on the board.

“We have some big games coming up against a lot of teams around us, people down there.

“The next 10 days are going to be important. We have shown what we are capable of, against the teams up there as well.”

The striker admitted it was a frustrating game personally.

“The wind picked up second half and it made it very difficult,” said Eaves.

“I felt a bit starved of chances and it is frustrating when we are having good spells with the ball, but it is difficult.

“You have to be patient as a striker, that’s the key word. Once you start wandering into wide areas then there is nobody else in the box, for me it is playing patient and being in the right place at the right time.

“It is a matter of talking to yourself and keep switching on. If you switch off and the chance comes, the manager will have a go at you!

“You have to be patient, stay switched on and take your chance when you get it. Fortunately Barry (Fuller) put in a great ball and I managed to get on the end of it.

“It was a battle, the big fella (Harry Souttar) at the back just wanted to wrestle with me but I think he tired at the end.

“A little lapse in concentration from their two centre-halves and I managed to capitalise from it.”

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