Gillingham manager Mark Bonner has urged his players to rise to the challenge after back-to-back defeats.

The Gills have struggled in front of goal of late and it’s proved costly with defeats to Crewe and Grimsby.

Bonner’s men are chasing promotion this season and the manager knows they need to bring more to the table.

He said: “I don't want to hammer them overly because we're ten games in and they've been great.

“Six wins from the first ten games, we'll take that, but to be null-scored (in the two games) where we've had as much of the ball as we have, that should hurt us.

“It should hurt us because we want to be a high-scoring team and we need more good moments to do that.

“I'm just frustrated and I think, ‘come on, there's more in us than that. Don't settle.’

“With the personality and mentality I'm trying to push, and trying to just encourage people, it’s like, ‘Don't settle for it being all right. Don't settle for having just a bit part in a game. Don't settle for having a few good moments.

“They want to be a top team. You want to be a top player in this team. You've got to demand more of yourselves to be the match winner, to make the difference on the day. We didn't have enough of that.

“When the challenge is there, rise to it and find a way.

“I just think we've got to find the level. We've got to push. We've not got to settle.”

League 2 table

The Gills are well in contention, despite the recent setbacks. Bonner’s side are one of four sat level on points at the top of League 2. Just one point separates the top six.

Bonner said: “We're 20% of the season done. If we're going to be a good team this year and have real success, the remaining 80% are games we'll have to find better solutions on days like those.

“We've got to get ourselves back on the grass and get working and start becoming the team that we want to be again.”

Gillingham return home this Saturday to face Accrington Stanley - a team struggling at the wrong end of League 2.

Stanley moved off the bottom of the table last weekend after claiming their first win of the season, beating Morecambe 2-1 in a battle of the basement boys.