Gillingham return home to Priestfield this weekend to face Tranmere Rovers looking to build on two solid away performances whilst also looking to avenge a defeat earlier in the season that still rankles with Neil Harris.

“I’ve not forgotten that result or the performance,” the Gills boss admitted, “but there wasn’t a lot in the game at the time until the hour mark when we gave three stupid goals away, but we’re a completely different outfit now so that game is irrelevant in my mind though perhaps we do owe them a little bit for that three nil defeat, but as a lot of the players weren’t around, it won’t mean anything to a lot of them!”

“It’s just about us focusing on Tranmere and how they’ve changed their personnel, their shape and their players, and believe in what we can do on Saturday afternoon!”

Looking back at the two away trips last week that brought goalless draws at Harrogate and Stockport, Harris reflected on the games, and told us, “we went to Stockport with a clean sheet mentality to make life extremely difficult for a very good side, and we got the desired outcome – a point – and I think you saw at the final whistle the reaction of the fans and the players, and the lads sitting around me on the bench what a hard earned point it was for us – it was real success for us!”

“With no disrespect, Stockport are a better side than Harrogate – the League table dictates that – but I was frustrated in Yorkshire as we had enough ball and enough really good passages of play – I’d say eight to ten or even twelve really good passages of play from box to box, but we didn’t quite have the end product in the final third where we could have won the game four-nil if we’d have been more on the front foot.”

“I was delighted with the clean sheet as I was at Stockport but if we’d have gone and played toe-to-toe with Stockport, it would have been a difficult night for us.”

“It’s great to be back here on Saturday – seems like an age since we were! The big thing for me is that we go into the game off the back of the Bradford game where we played extremely well in the first half but we did lose the game.”

“It was our first defeat having won the previous four but we want to get back out there, and I know that the players are really excited.”

“Sometimes you need a couple of real long away trips and be backs to the wall, that way we were to really appreciate what we have at home.”

“The lads were talking about it and they can’t wait to get back onto the pitch at Priestfield. Seeing the owners walking around the building with smiles on their faces has lifted everyone again and we’re just looking forward to Saturday.”

Harris wouldn’t be drawn on his squad selection but it seems increasingly unlikely that the squad will show much change from midweek given the lack of preparation time between the games at the moment.

The club have announced that the weekend’s game against Tranmere will be the Gills dedicated #HerGameToo fixture promoting the continued amazing growth and support of the girls and womens game.

We asked the Gills boss about the potential to get a womens team back under the umbrella of the Gillingham family.

“I don’t believe that every professional football team need to have a ladies side of the same name as it should be down to each individual club,” he told us.

“That said, if you were to ask me as the men’s first team manager if I support it, of course I do one hundred percent because that’s my belief. But at the end of the day it’s not my decision.”

“The importance is that there are enough teams out there – as long as the goals and ladies have to develop, to train, to grow personality-wise, ability-wise and character-wise, physicality-wise, mentality-wise then we’re doing it right.”

“The name of the club should be irrelevant really, but as Gillingham first team manager here in the men’s set up, would I like to see a ladies part of the club? Yes, I would.”

KSN had been speaking to Jake Turner – one of the club’s #HerGameToo ambassadors – and manager Harris about his enjoyment of the girls and ladies game through his own daughters. Please look out for those exclusive interviews next week…