GILLINGHAM captain Paul Smith says the team have got to become "harder to beat" to stop their slide down the Division 1 table. Saturday's 2-0 reverse at the hands of Norwich, their third consecutive home defeat, saw trhe club slip to 18th place, only six points above bottom club Stockport.

But Smith is confident that they can re-discover the form that made them the surprise package in the first division last season. The midfield general said: "We have got a free week and will be working hard in training, trying to put things right.

"We have always been hard to beat in the past and if we have played well or badly we don't give goals away. We are a little bit lax defensively as a team at the moment and will look to put things right.

"The gaffer knows the lads are trying - the effort was there against Norwich - and everyone needs to keep their heads up, get some good hard work in and be ready for another tough game against Wimbledon."

Manager Andy Hessenthaler put the recent bad results down to a case of the jitters at home. He said: "We seem to be a little bit tense and nervous playing at Priestfield in front of our own fans. We're finding it very hard at the moment.

''I have had a look at the stats, comparing this season with last, and we have got more points than we had at this time last season and everybody has got their chins on the floor for some reason.

"It's because of the games that we have slipped up in, but at the moment we are on course to do better than we did last season.

"We will keep grinding away, hope that we can be a little more relaxed against Wimbledon next week and take the chances that we create."