SKIPPER Paul Smith believes the overwhelming self-belief that they are good enough to earn a play-off place will help give Gillingham's players the win they desperately need at home to Norwich tonight.

Successive away defeats at Reading and Portsmouth have left the club nine points adrift of the nearest play-off place.

But Smith insists there is no crisis of confidence in the camp as the team seek to stretch a sequence of seven games without a home defeat against a side who harbour strong play-off ambitions of their own.

He stressed: "You have got to believe because if the team doesn't believe we can do it then we haven't got a chance to start with.

"In every game you have to believe you can win, whether it's Portsmouth or Sheffield Wednesday. It's essential that you go into every game in the right frame of mind.

"At the moment everyone is beating one another so the team that can put a decent run together and show some consistency can clinch a place in the play-offs."

Player-manager Andy Hessenthaler is likely to recall Mamady Sidibe to the attack at the expense of Guy Ipoua. The Mali international impressed after replacing Ipoua after 66 minutes at Portsmouth on Saturday.

Midfielder Mark Saunders could return to the squad for the first time since pulling a hamstring at Preston on February 1 but is likely to start on the bench.

"What half chances come our way tonight we're going to have to tuck away," said Hessenthaler. "That was a lesson we learned from Saturday's defeat at Portsmouth where not a lot was created."