Neil Harris has seen his Gillingham team bounce back from one set-back and has every confidence they can do it again.

The Gills were beaten 3-0 by Bolton last weekend at home and head to relegation rivals Doncaster Rovers this Saturday. An earlier 2-0 defeat to Plymouth was followed by a performance against Wimbledon that deserved more than a goalless draw and an eye-catching 2-0 win at Lincoln City.

Doncaster are a point and a place behind the Gills, having played a game more. Victory will be a huge boost for Harris’ men as they look to make further gains in their chase for survival.

Gills boss Harris said: “There is pressure on everyone at this stage of the season, what I know is that we are in a good place mentally and physically.

“We have to make sure we are improving all the time between now and the end of the season, with 10 games over a six-week period, we have to make sure we are a resolute, hard to beat and a horrible Gillingham team to play against, like we have been in previous games.

“We are three points away from the teams above us now. When I came in it was 10 points, credit to the players for the results and the turnaround. Other teams had games in hands as well, so we really have come a long way in a short space of time.

“We had a set-back on Saturday and there will be others between now and the end of the season, again it is how we deal with it, like we did after Plymouth. We did that with an excellent performance against Wimbledon and a win at Lincoln.

“We have to bounce back now with a big week infront of us. We are right in there fighting. We are very light in numbers, but we believe in each other and I believe in these players and that they are capable of winning games of football.”

Harris suggested the points tally for survival could be lower this season, something many fans have predicated. Fifty points is the usual benchmark but 45 might be enough. The Gills head into the weekend on 30 with 10 points left.

“I don’t know what it is going to be but we are going to have a right go and make sure it is still enjoyable,” he said.

“I think it is a different league this year, I really do. You normally talk about 46-50 points as a safety target in the division, I am not so sure because there is such a gulf between the top 8-10 and the bottom seven or eight teams, just because the finances dictate.

“If the teams at the top keep winning then the teams at the bottom aren’t winning so many games, what the total is going to be I have no idea, again I can’t set a target for any of us because I don’t know what it is going to be, so the best thing is to just win your next game of football.”

Doncaster will be looking to bounce back themselves after a 4-0 defeat last weekend at Cheltenham

Harris said: “It is a huge game because it is the next one, it is a very important week ahead and we can’t hide from that, once we play these three games 30% of the (remaining) fixtures are gone.

“It is a huge game, certainly I feel it is a game that Doncaster need to win, they have played a game more, for us it is a game that we want to win. It is a winnable game.

“Every game is difficult at this stage, no easy fixtures, bottom or top of the league.

“I am not expecting to see free-flowing football, I certainly don’t expect to see Man United - Man City from last week.

“We need points. It doesn’t matter how you get the points, it doesn’t matter if you dominate with the football. Bolton had 81% possession against Morecambe on Tuesday and it took a 95th minute goal for them to get a point. Stats become a little bit irrelevant, we need points.

“The message five weeks ago [when Harris took charge] was ‘let us be a proud football team’, better than we were against Oxford prior to me walking in, no fear, no pressure, nothing other than me setting the standards I have for the players.

“What has changed? We are three points away and in a lot healthier position. Expectation is a bit higher, that is our jobs, to deal with it. I expect my players and staff to deal with it and enjoy the game of football. When I came in nobody gave us a chance, we now have a chance, let’s make the most of it.”