Gillingham manager Neil Harris admits his players are doing a fine job of hampering his efforts to play down expectations this season.

Harris knew his side would be competitive this season but didn’t want to burden them with any extra pressure. But with four wins from four and a Carabao Cup scalp inbetween, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep excitement levels down.

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Gills are now the bookies’ favourites for promotion from League 2, having won all of their league games 1-0. They would make history this Saturday by claiming a fifth win on the spin at the start of their campaign. No Gillingham side has done that before.

Harris said: “I am the one who is trying to manage expectations all the time and trying to play everything down but the players are making it really difficult for me!

“We have 42 games to go, plus cup games, it is just the start.

“The bigger picture is that we have got 12 points and four clean sheets, and when we do have a blip then we have points in the bag.”

A 1-0 win at Crawley last Saturday matched the four wins achieved by Tony Pulis’ side at the start of the 1995/96 season. It was the beginning of a thrilling journey to the Championship under Paul Scally’s ownership.

Hopes of making it five wins back then were ended with a home defeat against Colchester. Harris will be hoping at least that part of history doesn’t repeat itself this Saturday as it’s Colchester again who are heading to Priestfield.

It’s a top versus bottom clash, with winless Colchester losing their opening three games of the season. Their first match, at home to Swindon, was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

Harris won’t allow complacency in the camp and his team are already on a warning to improve, beating Crawley last weekend despite a poor performance.

“Second half we were really poor,” said the Gills boss.

“But the fans were with us, they weren’t getting edgy, they weren’t shouting at the players, not shouting at me, they are just are so pleased with where we are at, and that’s the biggest thing for me, I take pride in the football club and then I look at my team and how well we are doing.

“I am delighted for the football club, delighted for the fans who travelled (to Crawley) in big numbers again, delighted for the players and the staff and everybody attached to the club, that we have won 12 points out of four games.

“But, for me as a manager, I reiterate to everyone, we need to be better than that.”

Harris may have been critical of his team’s weekend performance but he too knows just how impressive they’ve been since the start of August. They finish the month with Colchester at home and then a trip to Premier League newcomers Luton Town in the Carabao Cup Second Round on Tuesday.

“I was a bit agitated,” he said, after last weekend’s win. “A bit agitated with the performances, a bit agitated with the crap at the end (after a post-match confrontation), and very agitated with our decision-making on the pitch. But please don’t mistake that with how happy I am.

“I have been here 18 months and I don’t get too high and don’t get too low. When I say I wasn’t happy with the performance, that’s because I want more. I am not getting too down, or too excited because we have won, it’s all about Colchester now and preparing for that.

“It will be nice to be back at Preistfield. We have had three away games from four and we have nine points and three clean sheets (on the road).

“It had taken until January 14 for us to win three league games last season. We’ve done that in August this season, so there are lots of positives.”