Jake Hessenthaler fears nobody in the League 1 promotion race.

Gills are fourth with almost half of the season gone and the midfielder sees no reason why they won’t last the pace and challenge for a return to the Championship after a decade away.

He said: “We had a little blip a couple of weeks ago and I feel like we’ve stepped up our game again.

“Even though we drew with Shrewsbury, it was one of our best performances away from home and we deserved to win the game.

“I can’t see any major concerns. Everyone has to go through a little blip. Hopefully, we’ve had ours and now we can kick on and stay up there.

“Even though we lost 4-1 at Coventry and they were decent, we had a 10-minute spell and that was where we let ourselves down a little bit.

“Other than that, I felt we matched them in a lot of aspects so I wouldn’t say there’s teams we don’t think we can beat. There are some massive clubs in this league but I don’t feel they’re anything to be afraid of.”

Hessenthaler believes he’s a better player for all the competition in Gillingham’s midfield. He’s forced his way back into the team after a spell on the sidelines.

With Bradley Dack, Emmanuel Osadebe, skipper Doug Loft, Chelsea loanee Jordan Houghton and Aaron Morris for company, he can’t let his standards slip.

Hessenthaler said: “We’ve got a lot of competition for places. There’s a lot of good players in our team and you’ve got to keep playing well. If you don’t play well, you’re not going to be selected for the XI and might not even be in the 18.

“Pressure is good. If you haven’t got anyone pushing you every day, then sometimes you can take your foot off the gas.”