Neil Harris is looking forward to his first week ahead without a Tuesday night game to plan for.

The Gillingham manager has had little time to work with his team on the training ground after facing four games in his first 12 days as manager.

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It’s been a productive spell, gaining seven points as the Gills moved to within five points of safety. They were 10 points adrift when Harris took charge.

His first 12 days ended with a long trek to Morecambe where the Gills picked up a point. Looking towards the week ahead, Harris said: “The players will get looked after this week, it is also an opportunity for us on the training ground to do some work with the football.

“It gives me and the staff an opportunity to take stock of the first four games, and the football club, and get to know a few more people around the stadium but also just to prepare a bit more towards the next one.

“It is important for me to try and implement some ideas with the group, with and without the ball, but I feel it is important for the group that they take a chance to get a breather.”

Harris came in as manager after the Gills were bashed 7-2 at Priestfield by Oxford United.

Since then they’ve won twice at home, beating both Crewe and Cambridge 1-0, they narrowly lost at Ipswich 1-0 in their best showing under Harris so far before battling it out against Morecambe on Saturday.

Harris said: “The Oxford game was mentally a massive blow, for their professionalism and their pride, then a new manager comes in on a Monday, straight away you get a bounce and everyone’s over-thinking things and listening and really switched on, then we play on the Tuesday and we haven’t stopped.

“I have to be careful, my energy rubs off on them but I don’t want to give them too much information. I have all the energy in the world at the moment, the players have been great and now it is an opportunity for the players and staff to just take a step back, deep breath, great, come back in next week and ready to learn again.”

Harris hopes time on the training ground will help bring out a bit more quality from the team, although he admits fatigue played a part in recent games.

He said: “I want to see my team play better than that (on Saturday) and I have to put demands on the players as well, I can’t just sugar-coat it, we have to play better than that with the football, but they will, I know they will.”