Forget relegation - Gills chairman Paul Scally thinks the club should be making a last-ditch charge for the play-offs.

Gillingham would need to win most, if not all, of their last seven matches to have a shot at making the top seven in League 1.

The Gills are yet to accumulate enough points to secure their safety in the current division but Mr Scally believes his team should be looking up and not down.

Speaking ahead of last weekend, Mr Scally said: “We haven’t reached any of our three main objective yet. Our first will be to maintain league status, and our second would be to get into the play-offs. The third is to get promoted.

“We are not going to achieve our third objective. Strangely enough, if Peterborough lose their game in hand, we beat Peterborough and results go for us, then I have a feeling that one spot in the play-offs that is going begging could be taken by a team in 67, 68 points.

“It could be one of about seven clubs. I know we are rank outsiders at the minute but you never know what could happen. Other teams above us could collapse.”

The Gills face promotion-chasing Rotherham on Saturday and meet fellow high-flyers Leyton Orient the weekend after.

Sandwiched inbetween is a trip to play-off hopefuls and recent JPT winners Peterborough United.

But Mr Scally doesn’t fear anyone. He said: “None of the games that we have ahead faze me. I don’t fear any of the games.

“The most difficult of them will probably be Shrewsbury last game because they may well be fighting for their lives and scrapping for everything.

“I am quite looking forward to Leyton Orient and to Rotherham. They are games we could go and win.”

The Gills have seven games left to play and could reach a maximum 69 points by winning them all.

Swindon took the last place of the play-off last season with 74 points.

“Maybe 65 points might do it this year,” said a confident Scally.

“It is an odd one. I have no doubt there is only one place up for grabs now. Everyone is playing for it at the moment.

“I think anyone could get it. We are the rank outsiders, for sure, but who knows, stranger things have happened.”

The Gills have got form when it comes to late surges in League 1.

Under Ronnie Jepson, in 2006, the Gills went on a six-match winning streak that propelled the club up to 14th place. The club haven’t finished any higher in the Football League since then.