Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth accepts that time is running out in their bid to get involved in the promotion chase.
A game at Chesterfield on Tuesday night is the second of two big away games against sides that stand in their way of a place in the top seven.
Defeat at Crewe on Saturday leaves them nine points adrift of the play-off places in League 2 with 16 games remaining.
They need to be averaging two points a game in the final months if they want to get into the top seven, and Ainsworth said: “We’ve got to make these games count because we start running out of games. I don’t want to run out of games.
“I want my season to end at the end of May, not the end of April.
“There’s still a hell of a lot of points to go for – 48 points. That’s a huge amount.
“We’ve got plenty of opportunities to get into these play-offs. I’d love to. I really would love to because the Gillingham fans are brilliant. They get behind us. They want it as well.
“I thought I might be able to do it in that first year [since taking over as manager], but we’ll have to see.
“I’m still confident in these boys that they can go and beat any team in the league. I really do. That includes Chesterfield on Tuesday.”
Ainsworth was frustrated with how they conceded their goal at Crewe on Saturday, a major moment in a game where their own chances weren’t taken.
He said: “At the moment, we’ve got to start being better at defending set-pieces because three wins and a draw out of six games is good form. Three wins and three losses is average form.
“We’ve got to pick up. We have to pick up, and that means keeping clean sheets.”
The Gills head back to Priestfield on Saturday, for a home game against Oldham and two more matches after that against lower-league sides, but picking up a win at eighth-placed Chesterfield would be a big boost for the confidence.
Ainsworth, who has been given two full seasons to turn things around, said: “I think that the squad we have is capable of winning. Just still some work to do.
“I’m still in that first year. I want to get that done, and next season, I know the remit. I know what I have to do. It’ll be an exciting one. I want to do it this year, but we’ll see what happens.”
Chesterfield missed out on a top-seven spot themselves at the weekend after being held to a 1-1 draw by lowly Harrogate.
Ainsworth said: “I think Tyson Fury said everybody has a plan until they get punched in the nose. We certainly got punched in the nose on that set-piece [at Crewe] and then didn’t have the quality to come back.
“We’ve just got to put it right against Chesterfield on Tuesday.”
Ainsworth faces a selection dilemma for the game.
The Gills were the better team at Crewe on Saturday for much of the game as older heads Sam Vokes and Garath McCleary looked good before being withdrawn for fresh legs from the bench.
Gillingham weren’t as productive with the changes, and Ainsworth must decide whether his more senior players can go again from the off this Tuesday.
His team selection won’t be down to ability alone.
“There could be [changes],” he said.
“These are experienced players, and we might have to have a look at where their legs are.
“I’m not saying I will change them. I was really pleased with that first-half performance. I thought we looked very dangerous.
“It got a bit frantic in the second half when we lost our quality. That was key.”
