Back-to-back defeats have left Gillingham fighting for a strong finish rather than a promotion charge in their final few games.

It’s not the way it was supposed to be this season, after so much hype last summer, but the Gills take on Barrow at Priestfield this Saturday with eyes now on next season and hope for better times ahead.

Gillingham lost at Harrogate and Bradford in their last two games and with just one win in eight games, the prospect of making it into the play-offs has all but ended.

Weekend opponents Barrow are among the teams likely to be in the end-of-season play-offs. They beat the Gills 2-0 a month ago in the reverse fixture.

The Gills head to promotion-chasing Mansfield next Saturday before hosting Doncaster in the final game on April 27.

“We want to finish strong,” said head coach Clemence, ahead of their final three games. “I am not giving up on the season, I want to finish as high as possible, but for now we are concentrating on the next game.

“Let’s finish the season as strongly as we can.”

Gillingham have been hard to beat at home but in their current nine-game unbeaten run at Priestfield, they’ve drawn seven of those.

The Gills were well backed on the road in the last two games - as they have been all season - and Clemence is determined to head into the summer with a positive feeling.

“We owe that to the supporters,” he said. “I have to thank them again, they were there in their numbers again (at Bradford) and we are such a well-supported club.

“We have got great supporters, we all want to move forward together.

“Yes, we let everyone down last Monday (losing 5-1 at Harrogate), but apart from that the lads have always had a go.

“In the last three games, I expect them to knuckle down, roll their sleeves up and have a right go, that is what I expect.”