Fortress Priestfield full of 'heroes'
00:00, 17 January 2005
updated: 15:20, 17 January 2005
Gillingham 1 Plymouth 0
GILLINGHAM manager Stan Ternent lauded his players as "heroes" as his side continued to re-build Fortress Priestfield.
Under Ternent's reign, Gills have picked up 13 from a possible 15 points at home and have now closed the gap on the teams above them to two points.
But although the manager was happy with the result, he is refusing to get carried away.
He said: "Things are going very well. It was a tough game for us but we stuck at it. We upped the tempo in the second half and got a breakthrough but we had a few hairy moments along the way. But overall I think we shaded it.
"I think there were 13 or 14 heroes out there today. They gave me everything they had and they're getting the little breaks here and there and they deserve to because you make your own luck.
"But all credit to the players. They've come through a lot of adversity in the first part of the season and now they're playing to their potential. I think we still have a long way to go.
"We need seven, maybe eight wins still to get us to the 50 point mark out of 17 matches so it's still a very tall order. We have 29 points at the moment but 29 points doesn't keep you in the Championship.
"It's a very difficult situation we find ourselves in but I say again it's not down to me, it's down to the players. I'm not going to score any goals and kick any off the line, all I do is work through the week and prepare them for Saturday. It's a team effort but the players are the most important people at the football club.
"There's a long way to go but we're heading in the right direction and I'm really pleased about that."
The manager added that he hopes to have a new face in the side before the trip to Leicester at the weekend. Andy Hessenthaler came off with a calf injury and he adds to a worrying injury list.
Ternent has a couple of players nearing fitness, but he is still looking to add to his numbers.
"We're certainly looking to make some additions because if you look at the line-up today, I didn't have too many options in the forward and midfield department but that was the 16 we had fit," he said.