Gillingham manager Neil Harris wasn’t ready to walk away after Saturday’s defeat to Newport County but couldn’t hide his frustration.

Harris’ men went down to a 2-0 defeat against fellow strugglers Newport, an opener fumbled in by the keeper and a second an own-goal, both from set-pieces.

• Report: Newport 2-0 Gillingham

Defeat leaves the Gills a point and a place off the bottom of the Football League, with just six goals scored in 18 games.

“I am fed up with the situation and the standards at the football club,” said Gills boss Harris, echoing comments he made when the club were relegated last season from League 1.

“I do enjoy the challenge, when I took over 10 months ago the club was in a really difficult position, the club is still in a really difficult position.

“I have enjoyed day to day work, I can’t believe how loyal the fanbase are from the football club, so patient and respectful to the players and to me, and we are not winning games of football.

“I am fed up with the situation, fed up of standing on the sideline and us making the same mistakes. I do enjoy my job. Am I prepared to walk away today? No. But I am fed up of watching the same old c**p.

“I feel like the players let me down for 20 minutes, I’ve got to be honest, everything we talked about and everything we prepared for, the players didn’t do.

“We got a foothold in the game (with the game still goalless), we got into it, we should have been infront, we hit the post from six yards and then we missed an open goal from six inches and hit the bar.

“We should have been infront and then we don’t defend a simple set-play and ultimately we have had three really good chances and not scored, they have had two really good chances and scored both, I am just fed up with it.

“We knew what their strengths are. It is not rocket science, we did video presentations, we worked on the training pitch, we did reminders in the morning at the hotel and ultimately we get done on first and second balls.

“I can’t pull the wool over anybody’s eyes, we just didn’t compete enough in those moments, that is the players we have got. I am fed up with it now and there is no more I can say. They scored two goals, we don’t, that is the bottom line and that is pretty much the same every week.”

Gillingham now sit in the relegation places in League 2. Below them is non-league.

"I don’t think the club will be in this position for long," Harris said. "I knew, realistically that we were gong to struggle, I knew the level we were going to be at, I knew there was going to be pain if we stayed in League 1 and if we got relegated to League 2. (I was) fully aware there was going to be pain, I knew what we could spend.

"I chose to come because I wanted a challenge, the challenge is still there, it is as big as it has ever been. It hasn't got any easier since I walked through the door."