Gillingham defender Max Clark wants to give the fans a lift and knows a midweek win at Swindon would be just the tonic.

Back-to-back defeats have seen the Gills drop to ninth in League 2, following up a 4-1 loss at Walsall with a 2-1 home defeat against Notts County on Saturday.

More: Points deduction warning after goalkeeper injury2-1 home defeat against Notts County

The Gills head to historic rivals Swindon tomorrow (Tuesday) night - a side sitting fifth.

Full-back Clark, new to the team this season, said: “The rivalry has been mentioned and that gives us a bit more energy. We will want to fight for the club and fans.

“If it is a passionate one for the fans, it is a passionate one for us. We all want to win games, especially Swindon away. If it is one of the rivalries then we will be looking to get one up on them.”

Gillingham have promotion aims this season but have already lost six of their 14 games, with the lowest scoring record of any teams in the division, netting just 13 goals so far.

Keith Millen’s been in temporary charge since Neil Harris was sacked on October 5 and Clark knows they need to start upping their game, with or without a manager.

He said: “I am gutted when we lose, it hits me hard. The guys were devastated (after Saturday), but it is only us who can put it right as a team. We go again on Tuesday, it’s a big game and we’ll be refreshed coming in on Monday.

“We want to challenge this season, we don’t want to sit around mid-table, we want to achieve, that is what the dressing room is like. We will bounce back and things will come our away.

“At the moment Keith is taking charge of us and for us players we want to do our best for Keith. We have to perform, it is down to us.

“Once we are out there we want to get the result and whatever goes behind the scenes, we just have to perform. We are all fighting for Keith and the team. When the time is right things will change and that’s how it is as a footballer, that is the life, things happen, things change.

“We need to move on and we need to win games because we can’t just sit around, that is gone now we need to perform for the club and we need to pick up results because we want to be right up there.”

Clark, 27, hasn’t seen much action since his summer move, dropping behind Scott Malone in the pecking order for the left-back role once the summer recruitment had been finalised.

It’s meant he’s only started twice in the league, at Walsall and again on Saturday at Priestfield, where he was asked to fill in at right-back after Malone returned from a one-game suspension.

Clark had it tough on Saturday against County’s left-sided attacker Jodi Jones but he revealed afterwards that it was the first time he’d played in that position.

With injury ruling Robbie McKenzie out and illness keeping Cheye Alexander sidelined, Millen chose Clark to play right side of the defence.

“It was the first time in my career and it was difficult,” he said.

“It’s the opposite side but you have to do your job right, you have to defend and wherever the gaffer puts me I will play, I will do my best for the team.

“It was different for me but nice to be out there. We were devastated about the result and I was just gutted because like all of us, I hate losing games of football.”

The Gills have lost their last four league games away from Priestfield - a stat the players are well aware of.

Clark said: “It comes down to needing to be solid as a team, finding ways to win away from home, if it is going to take not the best performance but three points, that would give us a boost.

“It is always hard to pick up results away from home, I found that last season as well (at Stevenage). Everyone beats everyone but we want to compete and make sure we are picking up those results and climbing up the table.”