It’s win or bust now admits Gillingham boss Steve Evans.

The Gills’ 4-1 loss at Blackpool on Monday leaves them off the pace in the play-off race with six games to go.

They are four points adrift of sixth place and host lowly Shrewsbury this Saturday.

Evans said: “The Shrewsbury game becomes even bigger now, we simply have to win some games.

“If we don’t win four then we have no chance. There is no point us looking at results elsewhere.

“The one thing we know is that teams have games in hand but the last few weeks has shown that teams with games in hand don’t win games, the pressure is different. What do we need to do? We need to try and beat Shrewsbury next Saturday and take it with five games to go.

“If we beat Shrewsbury on Saturday then we could be sitting a point or two off the play-offs, with five to go. Yes, one or two teams will have games in hand but I am not so sure they will win them.”

Shrewsbury beat Plymouth 3-0 on Monday and look set for a lower to mid-table finish.

Gillingham still have hope, however, and the battle goes on.

Evans said: “We never get too high, even on our brilliant runs, we have never allowed the training ground to be a place that gets too high and never allowed it to get too low when it has gone against us.

“This is the first one in a long time that has gone against us. What you have to do is put some calm thoughts behind it.

“It was the quietest our dressing room has been. We never turned up and made it a competitive game so what we need to do is get positivity back into the training ground and get ready for Shrewsbury.

“Let’s win that game and take it with five to go. With some of the results on Monday you can see some are not finding it so easy, they are finding it tough.

“We need to get wins and points and that will only increase the tension. I want us to be here with three and two to go. This magical football world of ours produces things that are the unexpected.”