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Gillingham first team coach Nicky Southall writes exclusively for the KM Group

The game gave Gills boss Andy Hessenthaler and first-team coach Nicky Southall the opportunity to test their players against higher-league opponents
The game gave Gills boss Andy Hessenthaler and first-team coach Nicky Southall the opportunity to test their players against higher-league opponents

We’ve got a great chance of picking up three points this weekend and we are close to going on a special run.

It’s not going to be an easy game at Torquay but they’ve only won once at home this season and we go there full of confidence.

Last weekend’s draw against Port Vale saw us create a lot of chances but we are just not getting the rub of the green.

We played attractive football, attacked in the right manner and set out like we wanted to, with the two lads in midfield winning the second balls.

With a little more clinical finishing in the last few games, we could have easily got a result similar to the 6-1 at Hereford.

We now have a great chance to give ourselves a platform ahead of the next few games to get back-to-back wins and go on a decent run.

The injuries we’ve picked up recently haven’t helped us, especially defensively, and with the skipper out injured, we’ve lost some leadership qualities on the pitch.

People have come in, though, and done well. We just need to cut out the errors. We are creating plenty of chances but if we aren’t clinical in front of goal, then it puts us under pressure.

The defence will be saying it creates more pressure on them to keep the ball out of the net. The strikers will be saying, ‘you keep a clean sheet and we will win 1-0’. You need a bit of give and take.

At the weekend the atmosphere seemed a little flat from the fans and the boys picked up on that afterwards. What we have to do is look back and think ‘how are we going to get the atmosphere going again?’

We need to get into teams and that’s what the fans want. They want us to press and we need to get those fans back off their seats and being the 12th man.

Swindon manager Paolo Di Canio got lost on a two-mile fun run last week and ended up completing a half-marathon.

I haven’t a clue how he managed it, maybe he was so busy having a row with someone he went the wrong way.

He is certainly a passionate guy and a great person to have around – and he gives the journalists plenty to write about!

I have sympathies with Paulo, though, as I got lost the other week when I was driving the team bus to the reserves’ game at Ipswich. Our physio James was in the car ahead with the sat-nav but I didn’t have one and I couldn’t keep up.

They were going too fast, at 50mph, and the blue bus at Gillingham only goes about 30mph before it starts shaking.

I was driving around lost in Ipswich town centre and we ended up a little late to the game. I blame James for stitching me up on that one.

Kent Matchday Live
Kent Matchday Live
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