Gills boss previews Rovers fixture.
Manager Steve Lovell is relishing the chance to play Blackburn Rovers on Saturday as the Gills hope to shock League One’s table toppers and increase their chances of a play-off push.
Gillingham come into the game seven points behind Peterborough and full of confidence after last Saturday’s comeback win at Portsmouth.
Regarding the play-offs Lovell said: “I keep saying it's three points and every time that we win and get three points, we go into the next game.
“That has been the way it’s been, the last four or five games we have picked up points apart from Bury, which are moving us closer to that.
“With the run in that we got, we’ve got ten games with 30 points available so you can’t say no it’s not a possibility.
“We’ve got to play against the like of Plymouth, Bradford and Rotherham, so that’s pulling points back if we win the games.”
The Gills scored three goals in the second half against Pompey and Lovell is glad to see that there are goals coming from all over the team, he stated: “It’s important when forwards such as Josh and Tom have had a really good season with goals between them and when they’re not scoring it’s nice that other people can come in and get the goals.
“Marts [Lee Martin] scored two on Saturday; Conor’s got a goal so it’s nice to see other people scoring. Connor Ogilvie scored up at Bury so sometimes it takes the pressure off the front men, if you can spread the goals throughout the team it's less pressure on them front boys to score.”
Lovell was also quick to praise Conor Wilkinson’s second half performance against Portsmouth and he also emphasised just how great his goal was: “We know what he can produce and it was a fantastic goal," he said.
"He’s worked it himself and if that was in the Premier League everybody would be screaming and shouting about it, he’s a quality player he’s got some great technical ability and he’s working very hard now.
“He’s pushing for the first team place and he’s doing himself no harm at the moment.”
After Bradley Garmston and Connor Ogilvie suffered from a sickness bug last week, Lovell provided an update on the state of the squad, stating: “Connor (Ogilvie) and Bradley (Garmston) they’re fine, they’re over their illnesses.
“We’ve got a couple more in Liam Nash and Rhys Murphy now have it this week.”
Blackburn come into the game winning five of their last six games, despite this Lovell wants to take the game to Saturday’s opponents saying: “We tend to do better against the better sides so let’s hope that continues.
“We will be prepared, we will have a right good go at them, it will be a good crowd here so we want to give them something to cheer about and hopefully we will get three points out of it.”
Saturday’s game will also see the return of ex-Gills midfielder Bradley Dack. Dack joined Blackburn in the summer and has scored 15 goals for his new club. Lovell was again full of praise for the Rovers man, saying “He’s just quality. I remember when we took over the last time with the gang of four and we blended the team around him, we put him into a position we knew he would be dangerous in the number ten.
“So we went to the diamond in the areas we know Bradley could cause problems and that’s where he plays his best football.”