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Gillingham manager Neil Harris accepts his strikers have been “nowhere near good enough” this season.
Scott Kashket’s second goal of the campaign last Saturday earned Gills an FA Cup Round Two replay against Dagenham and it’s back to league action this weekend when Salford City come to town.
Harris - a lethal finisher as a player - has watched with anguish as his side have failed to find the target in 13 of their 19 League 2 fixtures - scoring only once in the other six matches. They have gone 466 minutes without a league goal and counting.
A lack of goals has left them second from bottom as they head into a first-ever game against the Ammies on Saturday (12.30pm kick-off).
Harris said: “All of my centre-forwards have got to be better, let’s be honest. I am not kidding on 4,000 people who come and pay their hard-earned money to watch every week.
“The centre-forwards have been nowhere near good enough and I feel for the centre-halves. They made a mistake for the goal (at Dagenham on Saturday) they should do better, they admit they should have done better, but they put one foot wrong in 90 minutes and we concede a goal.
“How many chances did they have around our six-yard box? Bundles. We weren’t front-foot and we weren’t aggressive.
“We don’t get those chances. Sometimes if there is not good service in the box you have to make it happen and I speak from experience.”
Gillingham got a breakthrough against Dagenham in the 92nd minute, Kashket getting into the right place to convert Jordan Green’s ball into the box. Both had been introduced off the bench.
“Jordan Green’s quality, [in a] one-versus-one situation and Scott Kashket taking a chance was the difference in getting a replay,” said the Gills boss.
In recent games Harris has been making full use of his substitutes, throwing on three at a time to get a response - and it’s been working.
“I keep changing it until something works!” he said, making the most of the five-substitute rule.
“That is what you want and when you have got Alex MacDonald’s quality - a really good lad in the changing room and a good leader - he makes a good impact as well in games.
“He is vitally important to us as a group but then we have someone like Jordan Green who we can bring on as a pace option.
“If the centre-forwards are not up to the levels I want I can change and give someone else an opportunity and it does make a difference, even Hakeeb Adelakun coming on at right-back [against Dagenham] gave us that attacking threat.
“What I need is those options but I need players playing well that are going to come off the bench, or players that are in the team playing well, so that I am thinking, ‘I can’t put the subs on because they are playing too well’. At the moment that is where we are just a little too short, that confidence, probably a little bit at the top end of the pitch, but sometimes you have to make that happen.”
While the Gills are struggling in the league, cup results have been more positive. They are a win away from the FA Cup Third Round and will play Wolves away in the Carabao Cup Fourth Round later this month.
Harris said: “In the cup we don’t have issues, do we? We are absolutely fine, it is a bit of a carefree attitude.
“In the league, does it bring a bit of pressure when you are at the bottom? I think so, but it shouldn’t do, we try and take the pressure off the players and let them play.
“We have to show that mentality and that attitude in the league on the Saturday.”
