by Luke Cawdell

Gillingham captain Adam Barrett has warned Port Vale that if they want top spot they are going to have to fight for it.

Vale, who visit Priestfield on Saturday, briefly sat top of League 2 over Christmas before the Gills regained the position they have held since day one.

Barrett, pictured, said: "We don’t want Port Vale coming to our ground and taking top spot so we will be fighting tooth and nail. We will be organised and prepared."

The Gills face a Vale team boosted by the arrival of striker Lee Hughes this week and also boasting the league’s top scorer Tom Pope – with 25 goals so far – in their ranks. But the Gills have the top defensive record in the division and head into the match on the back of successive clean sheets.

And that defensive record – of just 21 goals against – is something Barrett is proud of.

He said: "When we went down their place earlier in the season, everybody was raving about how many goals they had scored and we kept them out that day and won the game.

"We have nothing to fear. They have some good players and we respect that but we are confident in how we set up and what we do, and we have the best defensive record in the league.

"They want to take top spot but to do that they will have to beat us. Hopefully, that will suit us."