This is just the beginning, said Gillingham boss Steve Lovell, after being handed a two-year contract extension.

He has lifted the side clear of the League 1 drop zone and will now get the opportunity to push on over the following two seasons.

Lovell, who has lost just two of his 17 games incharge, said: “It is a start, we have had a good start up to now, but this is what we have to continue and there are still 17 games to go of the season.

“It has been a very good run and we just want to keep working at it.

Click here to read the views of Gillingham chairman Paul Scally

"This job is an enjoyable one and something we love doing. It is a team effort, we have all had a big say in what has happened.

“It has only just started. We have goals and we have an idea of what we want to do. Now our aim is to finish off the season well and prepare in the summer for the campaign ahead.”

Lovell was initially handed the job on a caretaker basis, following Peter Taylor’s resignation. Wins at Peterborough and Rotherham helped convince Gills chairman Paul Scally to give him the job for the remainder of the campaign.

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Since then, the Gills have climbed out of the bottom four in League 1 and are now just seven points adrift of the play-offs.

Lovell, speaking about his new deal, added: “It is lovely and it’s peace of mind as well. It is a great job and one that we love doing. It’s a club I have supported for a long long time.

“We have all worked hard as a team to get where we are now and it is nice to be rewarded for your efforts.

“There is a long way to go over the season yet and we just want to continue what we have started. It is nice now to have that mindset that we can continue for the foreseeable future, for the next two seasons. We can build on what we have now and look forward to the rest of this season and the next two.”

Getting the job on a longer-term basis will now help Lovell when it comes to negotiations with players.

“It does help with the players,” he said.

“They need to know who the manager is going to be. It steadies this ship a little bit as well and from a psychological point of view as well it makes it easier for them to get their heads around who they are going to be working with.

“It was the same when I was a player, you need to know who your manager is before you commit to a football club, and what his ideas are and how he likes to play. The players at the club understand the way I like to play, the way I coach and the way I set up the team, they seem to be enjoying it and we are getting our rewards at the moment.”