Gills boss says his side should look forward to Charlton fixture.
Steve Evans says that facing Charlton on Saturday is one of the biggest challenges of the season, but one his side should be relishing.
Gillingham will make the short 25-mile journey up the A2 to take on their local rivals, in a fixture that is always fiercely contested and usually, in any other season, packed with passionate supporters.
After their efforts against Lincoln went unrewarded last Friday, Evans’ men will be eager to return to winning ways in Sky Bet League One but they will need to be firing on all cylinders to take any points away from South London.
The Gills manager, speaking to the local press ahead of the Charlton clash, said: “We played particularly well against Lincoln. The performance was good but we need to be better. Charlton away is, for me, a more difficult game than Lincoln at home.
“Going to The Valley is going to be tough, but it is a game that every one of our players and staff should look forward to.”
Charlton are currently sitting in sixth position in the league table and are tipped by many as strong promotion contenders.
Addicks manager Lee Bowyer, in his quest to seal an immediate return to the Championship, recently beat a number of clubs to land striker Jayden Stockley on loan for the season and Evans believes the player has changed the dynamics of Charlton’s team, and singled out the target man as their key threat.
Evans said: “The signing of Jayden Stockley has seen Charlton change style a little bit and become much more effective. There is a real desire now to go into Jayden. He has the quality to bring people into play or indeed take chances, create or go for goal. We wanted to sign him here at Gillingham, I think most teams at this level would.
“To get into those play-offs we need three or four consecutive wins once or twice before the end of the season. We showed recently that winning three games in a row puts you on the verge of it. We know we need to start winning and there is no bigger test than going to The Valley. We will be ready on Saturday.”