“The biggest test of our season!”  Gillingham boss Steve Evans is all too aware of the task that faces his charges this weekend as the Gills make the long trip to the North East to face Sunderland looking to start a new unbeaten run.

Following last weekend’s desperate defeat against AFC Wimbledon which cost the Gills their fifteen-game unbeaten run, the Gills boss was remarkably honesty when he spoke to KSN this week. 

“We didn’t get anywhere near the standards that we’ve attained,” Evans admitted

“I’ve always said in football if you concentrate and fully focus on yourselves that will determine if you’re good enough. We’ve taken no points from Wimbledon this year which is a travesty given the first game we played against them after dominating from start to finish.

“As poor as we were on Saturday. I thought back about it and watched it back again on Sunday and it just looked like two poor teams. It makes it harder now to make the top six – if we’d won we’d be four points off the Play Offs with ten games to go but the reality is that we’re now seven points away with ten games to go and now have a run of away games.

“If we can get to the final six games only seven or six points adrift, I’d take it now as we’ve got four games left at Priestfield – anyone would take that for a run in”.

A clearly frustrated Gills boss conceded, “It was difficult to stand in front of the group after the game because everything was wrong about it but you do because they’ve been fantastic since we got together in June and those who have joined us since!”  

“We’re in a good place; we’ve had one adverse result probably since November but you have to give credit to the opposition who we play Saturday they’ve had an incredible turnaround and you can only respect the job that Phil Parkinson and Steve Parkin have done. 

“They’re very much a different beast from the one that we played in December, hes got a lot of players fitter which is something that was part of the discussions with Phil after the last game and hes got better players back available for him.

“This is Sunderland Football Club we’re talking about – this is THE giant in League One; Pompey are a giant, Ipswich are a giant but Sunderland are THE giant, they are an incredible football club. A good manager with good players and thirty thousand plus supporters will be there on Saturday. 

“The first thing that we well always do is to respect that – respect their right – but then try to compete with them on the pitch for ninety plus minutes

“It’s as tough a place as any place is in League One to go and get a result.  They’ve been incredible at home recently until they drew with Fleetwood – who I saw at Ipswich the other night . Fleetwood are in tremendous form and of course our next opponents here at Priestfield next week. 

“So, it’ll be a tough afternoon for us but one we’re looking forward to. You cannot fail not to wake up on the morning of a match and not look forward to playing at a ground like the Stadium of Light. We’ll take a good support with us who will make themselves heard but it’s a different game to the Cup-tie. 

“I’ve been there with Peterborough battling for promotion but I know it’ll be the biggest game that some of our youngsters will have played. We’re going to go in there and we’re going to do our best knowing that it’s going to extremely tough.

“If we can go and work hard with a determination that we’ve shown already, I know that I can stand in front of them – this is our biggest test of the season, to go to the Stadium of Light and win.

The Gills boss confirmed that skipper Max Ehmer will travel after training most of the week after missing the end of the Wimbledon game whilst Jordan Roberts played a game behind closed doors on Tuesday to test his shoulder and has come through with no ill-effects.