Manager Neil Harris conceded Friday’s match was no thriller but was delighted to see his Gillingham team pick up another three points.

A moment of quality from Tom Nichols won them the match against Doncaster Rovers, the striker’s volley on 44 minutes separating the sides.

Report: Gillingham 1 Doncaster 0

It leaves the Gills nine points clear of the relegation places in League 2 with six games left.

Harris said: “This stage of the season, the weather has picked up, the sun’s out, pitches are a bit drier and I think there will be a lot of games like that at this stage of the season, a little stop, start. I watched some of the early Championship game before ours and it was very similar.

“First 15-20 minutes we were excellent, really controlled the game, pinned them in, made some chances, built some pressure and then when the weather heated up a bit we went off the boil, it became a little scrappy.

“Nico scored an excellent goal on the stroke of half-time, that wins the game for us, in tight games like that, it’s what we need, and we have lost loads like that earlier in the season. I am pleased now we are coming out on the receiving end of them.

“I said to the lads, we have a clean sheet, another three points at home, fans have gone home happy. It is not about playing the beautiful game in those conditions, it is about getting over the line points wise because there is a lot of teams at the moment that aren’t doing that and we have to keep doing it.

“I just had to remind myself at the half-hour mark when I was becoming a little frustrated that we are not steam rolling a team, about how far have we come as a group? How far have we come as a football club? To expect to turn up and beat Doncaster who are infront of us in the league and just in the top half.

"The next test for us becomes away from home, just being a little more positive results-wise than we have been."

It was a top finish from Nichols to clinch the win, a crisp volley on his left foot.

“Technically it was a fantastic finish,” said the boss. “Tom had been really good in training on Tuesday and Thursday in what we did, he got his rewards.

“At this stage of the season that is the difference, so many teams at this stage are vying for promotion or to avoid relegation, there are not loads of teams in the middle, there are games like this one where there is a little less pressure on us at the moment and certainly none on Doncaster.

“You can have games that are scrappy at times but games are won by errors, set-plays, or good moments in games at this level. Our set-plays were outstanding, should have scored more goals, we limited errors in our defensive half and we scored an excellent goal.

“I just look at it really simple. Clean sheet, scored a brilliant goal and took three points at home, eight wins out of nine (at Priestfield in 2023).”