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Gillingham striker Scott Kashket insists his confidence has remained high despite a lack of goals this season.
As a team, the Gills have struggled to find the back of the net, with Kashket netting only his second of the season after coming off the bench and hitting a stoppage-time equaliser at Dagenham in the FA Cup on Saturday.
Kashket said: “I was thinking it was great to get the equaliser, I wasn’t thinking about it from a personal note, but then walking back I was like, ‘thank God I put one of them in!
“As a team we haven’t scored many, I haven’t scored too many, every time I step on the pitch I think I am going to score, when you lose that, that is when it becomes a problem, for me I was coming on I was believing I would score and I did. I believe that I am going to score in every game.
“The confidence is there, maybe the fans feel like the team is low on confidence, but me personally I feel like every game I am going to score, it doesn’t always work out how you would like it but that is football.”
Kashket was officially credited with a goal against Crewe but admitted at the time he didn’t get a touch on Mika Mandron’s effort, meaning Saturday’s strike was his first since the season’s opening home game, scoring the winner against Rochdale. It’s one of only two league wins so far for the Gills.
He scored in penalty shootout cup wins over Colchester and Brentford but missed his spot-kick in regular time against AFC Fylde in the FA Cup, dragging his effort wide.
“That penalty happened, it doesn't matter,” said the 26-year-old. “If I missed the next three I would still want to take the next, I still back myself infront of goal.
“(There are) chances I have missed that I should have scored but it’s about percentages, the more you get in there the more you score, I might score the next nine, but if I miss, first of all I look about how I got there.”
He was well-positioned to fire home the equaliser on Saturday, meeting Jordan Green’s low ball in at the near post.
“I was just hoping the ball would come to me,” he said. “A couple of times I stayed out (of the box), I heard the gaffer say to me ‘get in the box’, the ball was out wide and I knew the ball would be delivered, I was hoping it would come to the front post.
“When I got across it came to me and it was a reaction finish, we work on it in training, some go in, some don’t, but the law of percentages, the more you get in there the more times you will score.”
His goal keeps the Gills in the competition and they will be in the draw for the third round tonight (Monday) - not that Kashket will be interested.
He said: “It is always nice to get a big side away from home, but I don’t want to be thinking about getting this team or that team, we have to win the replay. They won’t make it easy for us.
“I won’t be thinking about the draw, if you get a great draw and lose it is a massive kick in the teeth so for me, I don’t really care about the draw, I just want to beat them in the replay.”
Kashket and his team-mates had been criticised openly by manager Neil Harris after the previous week’s performance at Newport - following a 2-0 defeat - but the striker felt they deserved it.
He said: “The team deserved the criticism, especially where we are and how we have performed this season, I don’t think anyone can feel hard done by that, it is maybe a wake up call.
“Maybe he should have said it earlier to show people that you are not safe, January (transfer window) is around the corner, but the morale in the changing room is good, it’s a good group of boys, that is the main thing, it is going to get better but it is very frustrating, I do have trust in the team.”