Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth has told his players they need to win this weekend – or run the risk of falling away from the promotion chase.
The Gills have drawn their last five games and slipped to 10th in the League 2 table – level on points with Fleetwood, who they face on Saturday.
“I’ll be trying to put it right as much as I can now,” said Ainsworth, after his side threw away a 2-0 lead against Barrow last weekend at Priestfield to draw 2-2.
“I’ve said to the boys, we’ve got to go to Fleetwood and win.
“We have to because otherwise we’re going to fall away, and the league’s going to split into two sections.
“We’re going to be in the lower section again. We don’t want to be in there, but if that’s what it is, then I’m going to have to change things.”
Ainsworth has said he’s looking at the January transfer window to make changes.
It’s been a frustrating period for the Gills as once again they’ve dropped off after an impressive start.
They won six of their first nine games but have claimed just one win in the 11 since then.
League 2 table;
Despite the poor run of results, the Gills are still well placed thanks to their impressive start, and Ainsworth knows they have a chance of making something of this season.
“We [had] a chance of being seventh [last Saturday] if we’d have won, which is pretty good,” he said.
“We didn’t win it, and we dropped another two points. Our home form has not been great lately, and we’ve got to address that.
“I’ll try and put it right. We are better than we were this time last year. But I want us to be even better.
“I want us to be in that top seven, that top eight. This club should be in that position. It’s too big to not be a contender in this league and I want that to be the case.”
Fleetwood won 2-0 at Newport last Saturday but have been reliant on their impressive home form to keep them in touch with the leading sides in the division. They’ve lost just one of their 10 games on their own patch.
Gillingham might be glad to be on the road after another disappointing ending at Priestfield last Saturday, drawing a game having been in charge at the break.
“Two goals should be enough, especially at half-time,” said Ainsworth.
“They were throwing people forward, which left chances at the other end. We didn’t take them. There’s a couple of bits where I’m really annoyed at. I’ve told the boys is no uncertain terms that I’m annoyed at that.
“They just looked a different team second half and I’ve got to address that.”
