GILLS boss Andy Hessenthaler says his side are so close to getting the result that will kick start their season - and he’s convinced they can get it at West Ham on Saturday.

Despite improved performances in recent times, Gills’ winless streak has now stretched to eight games, which has seen them to slump to 23rd in the Championship.

And with Gills travelling to visit high-flying West Ham on Saturday, Hessenthaler knows that although they will have their work cut out his side are always underdogs and can spring a surprise.

He said: “Nobody expects us to get anything with the run we’re having and who we’re playing, West Ham. They're playing well and doing well so the pressure’s on them more than ourselves as much as we’re feeling the pressure because we want a result.

“Nobody expects us to get anything there but we’ll go there with the same mentality and same attitude we did at Millwall. It’s a tough one. They’re a very big club, a big side and doing well. And with the run we’re having at the moment it’s not going to be easy, but we’re looking forward to it.

“We just need a result. We need something to spark us. In the performances in the last few games we’ve been close to doing that. It doesn’t help us that we’ve had to chop and change.

"We’d rather keep the same team but when you’re not getting results you try to find that right formula and we talk every day about players. This week Adam Nowland can’t play and Alan Pouton’s out injured and he would have played.

“If we can stop defensive mistakes, individual mistakes, then things will turn around for us. I really believe that and we're staying really positive.

“If any supporter or anyone outside of this football club came in our dressing room after the game against Millwall they will have seen how united the dressing room is and how desperate the boys are to get a result.”

He added that he is ultimately convinced his side will pull away from the trouble zone.

He said: “Five years ago when we came into this division our aim was to stay in this division and we’ll do that again this year. We need to get to that 50-point mark that we say every year as quickly as possible and then push on from there and I’m really convinced that we'll do that.

“We’re having a rough time at the moment but every club has a rough time. Football’s great when you’re winning but when you’re losing it's tough."

Chris Hope and Andrew Crofts come back into the squad for the trip to Upton Park with Nowland and Pouton dropping out. Paul Smith is still missing with a groin injury but Barry Ashby is on his way back to fitness after playing in the reserves in the week.

Meanwhile, new loan signing John Robinson told KM-fm he knows extra responsibility rests with him in the absence of other midfielders...