Gillingham claimed a sixth win from the last seven home games but manager Neil Harris admitted Tuesday night’s performance was the worst of them all.

The Gills beat Crewe 2-1 - capitalising on a couple of defensive errors to see off the Railwaymen - eventually overcoming a visiting side who put plenty of bodies behind the ball.

Report: Gillingham 2-1 Crewe

“It was a learning curve for us,” said Harris. “A team has come and paid us a huge respect because of our home record, they have sat off and played a back six first half and let us have the football.

“We couldn’t break down the low block, a little frustrating. I chuckled to myself at one stage during the first half because people were getting frustrated and I was getting frustrated myself to be honest, but getting frustrated because it was 0-0 in the first half playing at home? How far have we come as a group? I just say, ‘let’s be patient with the lads’ and at this stage of the season it is just about finding ways to win games.

“I have to be honest, it wasn’t our finest performance here. I would go as far as saying out of the last seven it has been our poorest, in my opinion, a lot of unforced errors.

“I thought Crewe were good as slowing the game down, stop starting it when we were trying to build some momentum, they put in a solid away performance for 55 minutes."

Tom Nichols put the Gills ahead on 57 minutes after a poor defensive clearance to Alex MacDonald and although Crewe hit back with a super strike from Callum Ainley just after the hour mark, Aiden O'Brien won it for Gills, after pressure on centre-back Luke Offord led to another mistake.

Harris said: “We had to rely on them making a couple of errors but we capitalised and scored with two really good composed finishes. We should have had a third with Oli Hawkins at the back stick [his goal was ruled out for a foul].

“Their goal was a worldy to get them back in it and you wonder if it’s going to be one of those nights where it doesn’t quite happen for us but to be 1-0 up, 1-1, then to get back infront again, that’s good character from the lads.

The Gills had gone into the break at 0-0, as they had done in home games against Grimsby and Wimbledon, and Harris’ men responded with a better second half.

“No need to raise voices,” he said. “I expressed disappointment with decision making with the football at times, against a back six, I thought we could have been slightly better.

“I am confident here at 0-0, attacking the Rainham End (second half), that was are going to go from strength to strength and with the ability I have with the subs I can make at the moment, the personnel in the squad that we are going to be a handful for anybody.

"Half-time, I knew we could be better, I knew we could build pressure, and force opportunities.”