Evans delighted after restricting Dons at Stadium MK

Gillingham defended strongly against Dons on New Year’s Day to keep a clean sheet and earn their first point since November 13

Gillingham manager Steve Evans said his side’s stout defensive performance against MK Dons on New Year’s Day was a performance worthy of his side from last season.

The Gills have struggled this term, losing their last six matches of 2021 as they plummeted into the relegation zone. But their point at Stadium MK on Saturday, courtesy of a 0-0 draw, reminded Evans of the type of performance which earned them a top 10 finish last season.

“I’m very proud of all of them,” he said afterwards. “I think the supporters have seen a Gillingham performance from 15 months ago which was strong, physical and competed for everything.

“We have restricted MK Dons today to long shots. It’s a hard-earned point, people could see the difference of that performance from a few weeks ago.

“The boys worked as hard as they could possibly work.”