Gills Manager wants players to enjoy experience of being top...
Martin Allen has insisted the club are not getting carried away by being top of the league and has warned that things can change very quickly in just a few games.
Gills returned to the top after a 2-0 win over Northampton on Tuesday evening, but Martin said the gap of two points to Port Vale means nothing.
He said: “We have all seen how quickly it can change. Some of these teams will be mid-table; they will go on a good run because there is no pressure on them and then when they reach the sharp end where the dotted line is on teletext they don’t get as many wins.
“We have been sitting at the top of the pile for five months, but these teams start to see the sparkling lights of automatic promotion and all of a sudden the results aren’t quite as good and we have had to deal with that all season.
“We have seen it year in, year out. Manchester United last year blew an eight point gap at the top of the Premier League with world class players and probably the most successful manager in World Football.
“Two points isn’t much really for us, there are 18 games to go so by my calculations 16 wins should win the league which would be fantastic for the club.
“I don’t think anyone, me included, expected us to be top of the league all season. It’s quite incredible what the players and the staff have done, along with the contribution of all the supporters.
“We’ve got to keep enjoying it, even when it doesn’t go great we need to support each other and look after each other because there will be ups and downs between now and the end of the season, we know that.
“If anybody expects us to go 16, 17, 18 games unbeaten you must be absolutely stark raving bonkers. We have come a long way very quickly.”
The transfer window has now closed with Martin making three signings in total – Leon Legge, Steven Gregory and Anton Robinson all joining the club. It has meant a few have gone in the opposite direction, but the Gills Manager said he has made those choices with the best interests of the club at heart.
He said: “A lot of our younger players, we decided early, that they could get opportunities elsewhere so there has been a big transformation in our playing staff.
“A lot of players have just left the club in Jack Payne, Danny Jackman and Lewis Montrose. They are good players and good lads but I felt it was the right thing for the club and the right thing financially because you have to have quids back in.”
Martin has also hinted that he may call upon members of the youth team later in the season after putting them through an intensive training regime.
He said: “They can play at this level there is no doubt about it and we have trained them like royal marines for the past three months so they can go in and play.
“They train here every morning from 7.30 and they have been absolutely smashed in to the ground just incase I need them before the end of the season.
“I may need them and they need to be physically ready. They can play but when you are top of the league or in the top three the games are different, it’s a different mentality, it’s a different feeling and they need a bit of time.
“Maybe one, two or three of them might come in before the end of the season and fill some gaps.”
Finally Martin welcomed the fact that Sky Sports will be covering the game on Monday night and hopes his players will get the credit they deserve.
He said: “Well it’s about time Sky did come down and watch us play. We never get any credit on the Football League Show, never. We have been top of the league for the whole season and we never get any positive comments from anybody.
“The players have had no credit, everyone thought we would be mid-table challenging for the play-offs. It will be a great night for Sky, Wycombe play good football and I imagine it will probably be a record audience for Sky TV.”