Gillingham manager Andy Hessenthaler is willing to take the blame for his side's alarming slump in form.

Defensive problems have seen the Gills slip down the League 2 table and Hessenthaler, pictured, knows he is the one who must stand in the firing line.

He said: "I am the manager and I pick the team. On Monday (against Southend) I picked the wrong team. If you win a game, you have picked the right team.

"Of course I take responsibility because I am at the helm. I want to get it right. You have to keep working hard."

Automatic promotion was the goal at the start of the season but the Gills are now 15 points off the top three and Hessenthaler admitted: "The top three is becoming difficult, we are not thinking about that.

"We are thinking about trying to get back into the top seven (the play-off positions), that’s what we have to try and do. Can we do that? I believe we can. I have to try and find the right formula and I am not able to do that at the moment.

"The buck stops with me and I understand that. You have to be successful and if you are not, unfortunately you have to face the consequences. Everyone demands success and demands it quite quickly."