Gillingham are on the verge of League 1 safety but the hard work won’t stop.

A 4-2 win at AFC Wimbledon on Saturday lifted the Gills into 12th as they close in on the 50-point target set by manager Steve Lovell.

“It’s not over yet,” insisted Lovell. “We still have a lot of work to do but if we play like we have in the last five or six games then we will win more than we lose.

“We are now three away from 50 with seven to go and it is about the points for us.

“It would be nice to take it on from there and go and get as many points as we can between now and the end of the season to finish as high as we can in the league.

“There are 21 points up for grabs and that’s the aim. If you still fall short you have still had a good season. Let’s finish the season on a good note.”

The Gills are in good form, winning four of their last eight, losing just two of those matches.

Lovell said: “We had a blip halfway through the season when we had injuries and suspensions. We had to bring a couple in but that has freshened it up and given everyone a boost.

“People now have to fight for their place and when their opportunity comes they have to take it. Regan Charles-Cook had an excellent time when he went on (as substitute) and Elliott List can’t get into the team. That just shows how well we’ve been doing – long may it continue.”

The Gills are now five points clear of the drop zone, heading a long list of teams looking to avoid relegation.

“It’s still tight down there and we have still got work to do,” added Lovell. “We will enjoy working hard on the training ground.

"We knew how tight it was, there were a lot of games played down the bottom (on Saturday) and a lot of teams finding themselves in trouble but I am not concerned by that, it is just about where we are.

“I am enjoying it and it is a shame we perhaps didn’t do this before Christmas but we weren’t in the position to do that.

“We had our injuries and we had youngsters on the bench that were perhaps not ready and playing youngsters who were perhaps not ready for League 1 football.

“We got the players in and now everyone is hoping to get in that 18-man squad. There were still three boys left out on Saturday (Bradley Garmston, Billy King and Darren Oldaker). It just shows the strength we have now in depth. It does make a difference.”

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