PLAYER-MANAGER Andy Hessenthaler will shoulder responsibility should 13th placed Gillingham fail to maintain the previous two seasons’ improvements under his management.

With two games remaining and the club six points adrift of last season’s tally of 64, the Gills boss is determined to see off Coventry on Saturday and Crystal Palace on May 4 to give the club a fighting chance of going one better than last term’s impressive 12th position.

Hessenthaler said: “I will be disappointed if we don’t beat last season's 12th place because that will not represent an improvement. I’ve been at Gillingham seven years now and this is my third season as player-manager and we’ve improved on the two seasons before.

“So if we don't improve this season, then as the manager I’ve got to look at myself and say that I haven’t done my job.”

Hessenthaler admitted that the past weeks had been the most frustrating during his three-year tenure because of the amount of injuries. He added: “Just a few weeks ago we were in with a shout of the play-offs. Then we suffered from indifferent performances and so many injuries.

“Consequently we fell away. I just wish we could have had available the six or seven senior players that have been missing. They would have made all the difference. Marlon King, especially, is a big miss to us up front."

Defender Nyron Nosworthy is expected to continue up front at Coventry as Mamady Sidibe’s strike partner following his successful conversion against Bradford City on Monday. The rest of the side is likely to be unchanged.