Gillingham face the first of several key relegation battles on Saturday as their Football League future hangs in the balance.

The Gills need reinforcements this month when the transfer window is open to give themselves the best chance of avoiding relegation from League 2. They start the weekend six points adrift of safety with half of the season gone.

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American owner Brad Galinson has pledged a fighting fund to spend during the month and manager Neil Harris was hoping to have numerous new additions in to face Hartlepool at Priestfield in a clash of the bottom two.

The weekend visitors dropped a place on Tuesday after being leapfrogged by Rochdale - 2-1 winners at Bradford.

The Gills head to 20th-placed Colchester next Saturday - a team who have been busy bringing in new faces - tackle Swindon after that and start February at home to 21st-placed Crawley. Wins are a must - as are signings - and Harris knows just how big January is.

“It is huge, monumental,” he said. “[The club’s] Football League status is on the line.

“The club have appointed a football structure [with Andy Hessenthaler returning as head of recruitment and Kenny Jackett as director of football], which is absolutely fantastic.

“We need to adjust what we have been doing, not over the last few months, but over X amount of years as well.

“The guys Kenny and Hessy, and James King [their recruitment consultant], they are out there trying to get the players now because they understand we need a boost.”

Harris was hoping to have a new-look team in place by this weekend but the January window is never easy. Signings can be registered up until 11pm on Tuesday, January 31.

What Gillingham currently have isn’t good enough by a long way. They have won just twice, scored only seven goals and sit bottom of the EFL.

Striker Tom Nichols is set to make his debut on Saturday after joining a fortnight ago from Crawley. Midfielder Timothee Dieng followed on Wednesday for an undisclosed fee from Exeter.

The Gills have been linked with numerous players, including Charlton forwards Jayden Stockley and Diallang Jaiyesimi. Mr Galinson’s money has seen the club shopping for a different class of player.

Harris knows improvements have to happen now. Last weekend’s FA Cup game against Leicester City was a positive - a full house and a determined effort by the team in a 1-0 defeat - but the league is what matters.

He said: “Two weeks ago, I said things have to change. We have seen change. The changing room has to embrace the change because the football club is moving forward, it’s moving in the right direction and we can’t step back.

“I’m proud of the team, proud of the football club, it just shows the potential that the Galinsons have invested into the football club for, we showed again in another game of football that tactically we can get it right.

“We enjoyed that match and the 48 hours before it, there was a great effort by everybody, but it is now about moving forward.”