Justin Edinburgh has praised goal scorer Luke Norris after his match winner against Bury on Monday, but he believed his team should have won by a more comfortable margin at Gigg Lane.
Norris struck on 27 minutes slotting home from close range after Josh Wright’s effort was blocked.
He said: “Luke’s come back into to the team and he has hit form. The ball was pinging about in the area but when it came to him he took his chance well.
“We had a few chances in the second half and caught them on the counter attack. We should have put the game to bed, but it wasn’t to be."
The Gills won their first game away from home since December 19th and the manager believes it had been far too long in coming.
“We have played better than we have today and lost, but with games running out now its all about the points and we have earned three valuable points today,” he said.
Edinburgh’s team are now four games unbeaten, with three of those games having been away.
He said: “The blip is behind us. We had Cody on the bench today and Jackson come back into the team, plus the signings of Crofts and El-Abd have been massive for us. The squad is getting stronger and fitter at a vital time.”
When asked about whether automatic promotion remains the target he said: “It has to be. There are still enough points to play for and every game is going to be tough for every team between now and the end of the season. We have to keep chasing the pack.
“Five of our next eight games are at home, and we have got to make that advantage count."