"Criminal" - Mark Bonner left fuming after Gillingham FC suffer "horrible night" | OneFootball

Tuesday's defeat leaves the Gills without a single point from any of their last five league games

Gillingham boss Mark Bonner was left reeling after his side fell to a 2-0 defeat to Newport County on Tuesday night at Priestfield.

The Gills dominated the 90 minutes in Kent, but were chasing the game for the majority of the clash, after Matt Baker put the Welsh side ahead around the quarter-hour mark.

Kyle Hudlin doubled the advantage soon after, leaving the hosts doing all they can to reduce the two-goal deficit, but despite all their efforts, they were unable to breach the visitors’ backline.

Tuesday’s result made it five defeats on the spin for Bonner’s side, with the former Cambridge United man left perplexed after another pointless display from his side.

Mark Bonner addresses ‘horrible night’ as Gillingham boss after Newport County defeat

Gills poor run of form shows no signs of letting up of late, with the defeat to Nelson Jardim’s side the latest in a series of performances that have seen the Kent outfit struggle in front of goal.

Despite having 16 shots throughout the 90 minutes, the hosts only managed to test Nick Townsend in the County goal five times on Tuesday night, as they failed to find the back of the net for the fifth league game this season.

Two goals scored in the last five games makes for worrying reading for Bonner and his side, who couldn’t capitalise on the territory and possession they had throughout the game.

As County fought valiantly to hold on to their victory, the 38-year-old pulled no punches in his post-match assessment, telling Kent Online: ““It's the most dominant we've been by miles in any game, but it doesn't matter.

“You just can't talk about that in the end because we've chased, we've had chances, they've defended the box for their lives in the second half.

“They've had nothing second half. They've had a couple of moments first half that we've given them. We've had good chances in the game, yet we come off not scoring, losing and the run of results we're on is rotten.

“It just becomes a horrible night for us, a horrible result.

“I thought we were way, way better than they were if I'm being honest.”

Mark Bonner laments Gillingham defensive woes

Gillingham came flying out the blocks in the clash in midweek, with Jayden Clarke having an effort go narrowly wide early on, while aerial deliveries caused the visitors some early issues.

But that promise was soon undone as Baker stole in at the far post to volley home the opener, before Hudlin was allowed the time and space turn and fire home County’s second just after the half-hour.

That left the Gills with a mountain to climb, and despite his side’s intent to get back into the game, Bonner was left spitting feathers after the concession of two early goals; making it nine goals conceded in their last five outings.

Having picked up 19 points from the first 24 available, Gillingham have failed to pick up a point in the five matches since, with the man in the dugout knowing things have to turn around sooner, rather than later.

He continued: “The two goals that we give them just makes the game really hard,” Bonner said.

“In some respects, when you're two down and you're chasing something, it's fairly easy to chase. We've got to be that at 0-0, that at 1-0, because the two goals that we give them are just criminal.

“We give a really sloppy, soft, free-kick away and then the second goal, it happened two, maybe three times in the half, where we get counter-attacked because we don't secure the middle of the pitch, don't counter-press well enough.”

“Any of the good stuff in the game isn't worth a conversation, unfortunately.

“The overall picture is we haven't been good enough and what we're aspiring to do and want to do as a club, we're a long, long way from that at the moment, from the level needed to do it.

“After a good start in the first block of games, the last block of games is a sign of a team that's got a lot to do.”