Saturday’s defeat was a heartbreaker for Gills striker Conor Wilkinson.

He felt there was only one team who should have walked away with three points from the League 1 contest at Valley Parade.

“It’s heartbreaking.,” said the striker, reflecting on the 1-0 defeat.

“I am only 23 but that is one of the most one-sided games I have been in. We deserved to take all three points.

“We had the chances. They scored with a good finish but we were on the attack for the whole game really. We created chance after chance but it just didn’t fall to us.”

Wilkinson was back in the starting line-up for the Gills.

“I was happy with myself,” he said.

“It was nice to get a start and I feel like I did enough, it was just disappointing not to get the three points.”

Wilkinson had appeals for a penalty late in the first half, after being shoved over in the

box, but referee Ross Joyce didn’t agree.

“He pushed me with both hands,” said the striker.

“I went to the floor and the linesman did nothing. I looked to the referee and if that is out of the box it is probably a free-kick. I questioned the referee but he said no.

“If we get that penalty and score we are 1-0 up at half time and have the momentum. That is what we needed, a goal before half time. We would have gone into the second half flying but they get a goal against the run of play and we are trying to get back into the game.”

Gillingham did squander several chances on a lousy pitch but Wilkinson wasn’t using that as an excuse.

“My garden is better,” he said,

“It wasn’t the best, a bit bobbly. You could use that as an excuse but that is probably a cowards way out.

“There are no excuses are there? It is down to us at the end of the day. We have to take our chances. We go again Thursday and hopefully we will pick up three points.”

The Gills remain eight points adrift of the play-offs but games are running out. They face MK Dons at home on Thursday night and then travel to Southend United on Easter Monday.

Wilkinson said: “We are 13th, eight points off it and with a game in hand, everything is still to play for.

"We have another game Thursday and then Monday, they are coming around quickly. We need to make sure we take advantage of them and take the three points from both. We will be flying again then.

“The best thing about football is there’s always another game.”