Jonny Williams insists Gillingham can still mount a promotion push this season despite their poor run of form.
The Gills slipped to a 2-0 defeat at high-flying Swindon on New Year’s Day, extending their winless run to nine matches, but Williams believes the table still offers encouragement and belief remains strong inside the dressing room.
He said: “The gap is small…it’s reachable at the moment. We have to hold on to that and look to win the next game.
“There’s always that belief. There is definitely a belief that we can go on a run.
“You win two or three games in this league, you’re in the mix again, or you’re around it.
“I just want to be fighting for something at the end of the season, whether it’s fighting to stay in the play-offs, taking it to the wire where we can.
“I think we can do it. Not one team has really scared us.”
Williams, 32, joined the Gills in the summer of 2023, hoping to be part of something special.
It’s not worked out as he’d imagined, so far.
He said: “The first year (after signing) we took it to the end and apart from the last game of the season, we had something to play for.
“We were fighting to get in the play-offs and that is where I’d want to be. I think what we’d all want to be is having something to play for at the end of the season.
“There’s so many points to play for now. We have to keep believing that we can win two or three in a row.”
Gillingham missed the chance to close the gap on the top seven after Sunday’s game at Notts County was postponed because of a frozen pitch.
Williams felt Gillingham were unfortunate to leave Swindon empty-handed after a strong showing last time out.
“We were really good first half, but we’ve got to score in the moments,” he said.
“We created a number of opportunities. I think they had two shots on target and scored two goals. It seems to be the way at the moment. We’re getting punished.
“We have played well for 70-75 minutes throughout that game where, even second half, the ball doesn’t drop. We get in a number of times in the end. They defended well and fair play to them.
“That’s probably why they’re top two in the league, because they find a way, even when they haven’t played well or played at their best, they’ve found a way of beating us.”
Williams, who returned to the starting line-up, admitted the defeat was tough to take but took heart from the performance.
He said “I actually enjoyed playing in the team. I’ve been out of the team and I actually enjoyed playing alongside my team-mates.
“I thought it was a performance that deserved, you know, at least a point, if not three.
“There’s something there. There’s a performance where you can take a small positive in the fact that we’ve played quite well in large parts. It’s tough to take in that dressing room.”
It was Williams’ first start in six, the previous time being at Shrewsbury in late November.
“It was a tough one at Shrewsbury,” he admitted. “I got punished for one of the goals.
“I haven’t played much since, but it was good to be back out there and contribute, trying to make things happen and being part of a good team performance.
“I just want to win, I just want to win games. This team is good enough. To be out there, we just have to convert and not concede these easy goals.”
Despite frustration at missed chances, Williams says the squad must keep believing results will turn.
“You’ve just got to keep believing. Keep getting in there, keep believing,” he said.
“It’s got to change at some point. You have to keep that belief that it will change And when it does, we’re not a million miles off it.”
Gillingham are next in action at home to Newport on January 17. The game with MK Dons this Saturday has been postponed as their scheduled opponents are in FA Cup action.
