Gillingham goalkeeper Glenn Morris was among those who had claims for the man-of-the-match award on Saturday against his old team.

Some great blocks in the first half ensured his former side Crawley Town got no reward for their efforts in the opening 45 minutes against the Gills. The hosts then dominated the second half to win 1-0.

• Defensive switch pays off for Gills

While hot-shot striker Tom Nichols was the main talking point pre-match, having only recently left Crawley, 39-year-old keeper Morris was up against his old team for the first time since leaving the West Sussex side.

Morris played 257 league games for Crawley during his time with the club, between 2016 and this season. He moved to the Gills on loan in the summer before recently returning on a permanent deal until the end of the season.

He picked up a third clean sheet from his last four outings on Saturday, his eighth of the season, but insisted it wasn’t about him.

“I am there to make saves, that is what I am paid to do,” he said.

“The saves kept us in the game and then we could kick on, it is pleasing for me, but it not really about me, it is about us getting three points and that is the most important thing.

“I got a good reception (from the Crawley fans). I had six and a half fantastic years there, I loved playing for that club but I have moved on, I am here at Gillingham and I was very pleased to get that win.

“It is always pleasing to get a clean sheet. First half we were under the cosh a little bit, we had chuck our bodies on the line and make sure we came in at 0-0 and second half was more comfortable. The boys were fantastic infront of me, the shape was perfect and there wasn't much threat coming our way, that is how it felt, it felt like a comfortable 1-0 in the end.”

Morris had to be alert early on, making a save from an angled shot off Ben Gladwin with just seconds on the clock. There were other skirmishes inside the box where the Gills keeper had to throw himself into saves.

Manager Neil Harris had to use a few choice words at the break to get his side firing and it worked.

“We probably weren’t at the levels we expected ourselves to be,” Morris said. “A few words were said at half-time, not raised, not harsh words, but just about what is expected and our standards, we adjusted that second half, we controlled the game and we felt and we had the better chances.”

Victory wasn’t enough to get the Gills out of the bottom two but Morris is confident they will pull clear of trouble, although he knows it will still take a lot of hard work.

He said: “We have to make sure we do our jobs, worry about ourselves, the rest will take care of itself.

“At the moment we are on the back of good form, a great feeling around the club, new players. It seems like we are going in the right direction. If we can just keep that winning feeling going and winning run going, then we will be okay I am sure.

“There is still a long way to go, we know what we need to get out of the situation.

“We feel we have enough in the building to not worry about it but I have been in the game long enough, it doesn't matter how many people you sign, what you do, you still have to perform every week but I think we have strong characters in there who can handle the pressure.”

And it Morris keeps performing, he’s hoping to win another deal at the club. He turned 39 in December but is in good shape.

He said: “I want to have another year next year. I still feel I can play at this level, the main thing is for me to not worry about that, it is about keeping Gillingham in the league and then worry about that in the summer.”