Boss Justin Edinburgh will be demanding a response from his Gillingham players this weekend.

A disappointing midweek trip to Chesterfield saw his Gills team slump to a 3-0 defeat.

It was Edinburgh’s first away loss in five matches, since taking over and he wants no repeat when relegation scrappers Colchester come to town on Saturday.

He said: “Any manager will now look for a reaction from his group of players.

“I said to them at half-time (on Tuesday) it was unlike everything we had done on Saturday (in a 0-0 draw with leaders Bristol City) where we were a complete team."

He added: “It proves that if you are not as a group and we don’t have that trust as a team, then you are not going to win many games. We have been well beaten and it is something we don’t like. It hasn’t happened since I have been here, in terms of that manner and all I can do is make sure we get a reaction at home on Saturday.”

That loss all-but ended the Gills play-off hopes. They are now seven points adrift of sixth place, sitting 14th in League 1.

Edinburgh said: “We can mathematically make the play-offs but it is going to take an extraordinary run of winning games but you always have to look up.

“What we have to do on Saturday is make sure we are hard-working, together and back to the level of performances we have had up to now."

Gills are still without Josh Pritchard but a knock picked up by Oliver Muldoon on Tuesday night is not thought to be serious.