Neil Harris believes Priestfield is becoming the kind of place visiting teams will once again dislike.

The Gillingham boss is hoping last season’s wretched home form can be put behind them. Holding league leaders Stevenage to a draw last Saturday was another step in the right direction.

The Gills picked up just four home league wins last season - a record low for the club in the Football League - with only 13 goals scored - another unwanted record. They lost half of their matches at their own ground.

Their two league wins this term have come at Priestfield, against Sutton United and Rochdale. As well as the Stevenage point, there has been League Cup and EFL Trophy success on home turf.

A 2-0 defeat to Mansfield Town last month is a stain on the record Harris feels they are gradually beginning to erase.

He said: “I always want to win at home but when you play the top sides to get anything out of the game can be tough.

“I think what we are seeing now from this place, barring Mansfield first half, it is a difficult place to come here and that has to be the thought process for us.

“That has to be our aim because that is what Priestfield has always been, difficult, as I know for myself as a player and a coach over the years. It shouldn’t be nice and we made it difficult for top-of-the-table [Stevenage].

“The atmosphere was excellent in the football ground and we want to keep to that.”

While Stevenage turned up to Priestfield in fine form, Saturday’s visitors Barrow are on a losing run after a decent start.

One goal and four straight defeats have seen the team sink to 11th, having been second a month ago.

Barrow are in their third season back in the Football League, promoted on points-per-game during the pandemic, returning after a 48-year absence. They are hoping to improve on 21st and 22nd-place finishes.

Harris said: “We know where we are as a football club when it comes to spending power and where we sit in the bottom reaches of the division in that we have to find ways to be better.

“Six unbeaten is no mean feat for us, possibly we could have won a few of them as well.

“We are growing and everyone can see that we are moving in the right direction and that is really important. It has been a tough period, before I got here and my early days. I just want us to grow and get better and what the Gillingham fans want to see is not what they saw against Mansfield in the first half when we didn’t compete.

“[On Saturday] we competed against a really physical, strong, forward-playing Stevenage outfit.”

Coping with that physical challenge will be crucial in League 2.

Harris added: “Anyone who saw us here against Mansfield, anyone who saw us at Tranmere, I think I would be rightly concerned - can we stand up to the physical challenge?

“Two of the best teams at the physical side of the game are Sutton and Stevenage. We have stood up to both.”

Gillingham could be close to bringing Olly Lee back into the first-team squad after he had a run-out on Tuesday in a practice game against Dover. Stuart O’Keefe and Ben Reeves are also hoping to see off injuries.