Gillingham boss Neil Harris won’t stand for any easing off as they look to finish the season on a high.

Two more games remain for the Gills and their last match at Priestfield this term takes place on Saturday against Newport County - a side one point and one place above Harris’ team.

The Gills put any suggestions that they would be playing out the last few games at a lesser pace to bed after they took a point off Bradford City last weekend with a superb display. Now they want to end on a positive note at home.

Harris said: “The pre-match message (at Bradford) was ‘brilliant, well done lads, excellent second half of the season, but that isn’t enough for me’.

“I am looking at every game, judging on every game, every performance, every individual performance, judging into next season.

“We are not in any game to make the numbers up, not in any game to give anyone a free ride. We are not on holiday, we are not going to teams to roll over, we are there to put in performances to show our qualities as a team.

“I asked the group, the players I picked, the first 14-15, it is about you now, your mentality, show me that desire you have got because they know my hunger. That is why we started so well [last weekend] because we prepared diligently and players repeated what we always do during the week.

“Anyone who had any question marks after (last) Tuesday night (when the Gills secured their league status with a win over Leyton Orient), the result and where it leaves us, no, we have derailed that now. We are at it, we certainly want to finish strongly at home against Newport.

“I want to win that. It is a big game for us, last home game of the season now and we have done brilliantly to take 28 points out of 33 and I expect a strong finish.”

The Gills will be well backed again at Priestfield. Supporters have been returning in good numbers since the change of ownership and upturn in form. The Rainham End was sold out as early as Tuesday this week while seats in the Medway Stand were also selling fast.

Gillingham’s home form in 2023 has been exceptional with nine wins from 11, a draw against high-flying Stockport and defeat against promotion-chasing Bradford two months ago. Harris’ men will be confident of ending their season at ME7 on a high.

Saturday’s game at Bradford was the fourth match in a row against top-end sides. The Gills have won one, lost one and drawn two but been competitive in them all.

They took the game to the Bantams and were rewarded with a point - it may well have been three had they been more ruthless in the first half.

The Gills were leading 1-0 at the end of the opening half, then conceded twice as Bradford fought back after the break before Oli Hawkins rescued a deserved draw with a 97th-minute equaliser.

Harris said: “I said to the lads we can either sit back and wait for a team that is going for promotion to come at us, or we can attack the game and go on the front foot. That was the game plan.

“The lads were excellent first half, excellent [in the] last 10 minutes, including injury-time. There was that little wobble in between where Bradford were very good but we made some strange decisions and we need to eradicate that going into next season.

“It’s the fourth time we have conceded in the last eight minutes of a game recently and when I talk about mentality that is what has got to change.

“I look at myself, I put an extra body on the pitch (in attack) and when you do that you need to make sure you take care of the ball when you have got it and we didn’t do that before conceding. After that we were excellent.

“I was delighted for Oli. He only came out of the team against Stockport because he was ill and hasn’t forced his way back in yet but that is how to respond. That is where you need your impact subs, your game changers.”