Defender Conor Masterson insists the Gillingham team still has what it takes to be successful this season.

Poor form in front of goal has been costly for some time at Gillingham and they suffered another blank on Boxing Day in a home defeat to Crawley Town.

More: ‘We feel the frustration too’

It was a blow to the Gills but Masterson remains confident of success this term .

“We are not a million miles away from the play-off (places),” said the defender.

“Once we click I think we are going to beat a lot of teams because the players we have in that dressing room are more than good enough to beat most of the teams in this league, we just have to keep going, stick together and keep training hard. I believe it will work.

“I don’t think it is the lack of belief, I just think sometimes it doesn’t click and that was one of those days (against Crawley). We just have to look forward, we have a home game against Sutton (on Friday) to look forward to, a very winnable game and we are going to do our best to win it.

“They are a big physical team, more direct (than Crawley), and it will be a totally different game but one I think we can master. I believe we have better players than them and if we get the ball down and play, it won’t be that type of (physical) game, it won’t be that physical battle, we will use the other side of the game.

“If we show composure and technical ability then we will really hurt them.”

The Gills were booed off after a 2-0 loss to Crawley, with fans’ frustration growing.

Supporters were hoping for a chance of promotion this season but have reached the halfway point sitting 14th place with just 19 goals scored in 23 games and 11 losses.

Masterson understood the fan reaction.

“I totally get it 100%,” he said. “We have a lot of good players and we should be beating them teams, there is no disputing that.

“We are just disappointed because we know we are good enough to beat them, we had more than enough to beat them, we just didn’t take our chances.

“I thought it took us a while to get into the game, playing a new shape. Half an hour in and we got used to it a bit more, obviously their first goal was frustrating but second half we completely dominated, we absolutely battered them, had chances, just didn’t take them and it is what it is.

“We should have scored and everybody was devastated, management, players, we are all disappointed, it is hard to take because it was definitely a game that we thought we could win.

“We are just missing that killer instinct but it is not from the lack of effort or people not trying, people are trying, it just hasn’t clicked.

“We have to keep going, we have to keep pushing through and I believe in the team, I really do. I believe in the players that we have and believe that it will click, once it clicks I think we will beat a lot of teams in this league.”