Peter Taylor is convinced his team are progressing, one year to the day he returned as Gills manager.

Taylor took over the Gills immediately after the sacking of Martin Allen, initially on an interim basis, before being given the job permanently until the end of last season.

In May he signed a two year contract.

Taylor made big changes in the summer, signing nine new players before the start of the season, many in their early 20s.

The Gills – who finished 17 last season – have been as high as 10 in the early stages of the current campaign but now find themselves fifth from bottom.

But it’s far from panic stations for Taylor.

A year on from returning to Priestfield, he said: “People say to me, ‘now it’s your team’ and I understand that. It is my team now.

“I wouldn’t take full responsibility last season because I took over Martin’s team. At the time I came in it wasn’t easy and there were a few downed heads.

“I take onboard that this is the team I have put together 100%, I will live with that. I can be very realistic.

“On Saturday, had Doug Loft stayed on the pitch, we might have won the match and I still believe we are making progress.

“I am delighted we are still in League 1 and I still think that a team will be produced here.

“We have lost the last three matches, so that is not good news and the timing of the conversation is not good, but I do believe with the group of players we’ve got, they are honest and committed and even though they are down at the minute, they will bounce back. We will bounce back.”

Taylor’s record last season, as he guided the Gills to safety in League 1, was 13 wins, five draws and 17 defeats from his 35 games in charge.

This season his team have won three, drawn three and lost six.