Gillingham play just their second home League game of the season looking to win their opening five League games for the very first time.

Colchester United are the visitors to Fortress Priestfield and although the Essex side arrive bottom and pointless after their first three games, Neil Harris is taking nothing for granted. 

Speaking to KSN ahead of the weekend, the Gills boss told us, “It’s something that I’ve brought up to the players on more than one occasion in the last week or so after Sutton going into Crawley and then onto Colchester this weekend.

“Not because of an ego nature of our players, not at all, but subconsciously sometimes you can take your foot off the gas or think you’ve cracked it when you haven’t.” 

“I’ve seen enough positive stuff in our performances to know that we are a good side. But I’ve been publicly honest with my opinion of some of the moments in games where we could be a lot better.”

“I’d hate to think that I’ve got a group of players or staff who would take their foot off the gas, and certainly from what I’ve learned from League Two over the past eighteen months is that every game is as difficult as the next.”

“The league table becomes a little bit irreverent especially at this stage going into weekend, but anybody can beat anybody on their given day!” 

“We’re having a good time at the moment, we’re enjoying it and had some really good performances and proven ourselves to be a very good side especially so early in the season and I’ve got to keep making sure that team selection is correct as best I can, substitutes correct as best I can, formations are correct and what I’ve done pretty much every game is tinkered with the set-up of the team and that won’t be any different this weekend.” 

“Colchester are not a team who will finish bottom of the League in forty-three games time. Ben (Garner) their boss knows that and is probably happy for me to say that.” Harris joked and then continued.

“They’re a better team than their results have shown and so we have to make sure that we’re as good as we have been if not better than we have been.”

“Ultimately, we’ve had three away games so far and three one-nil wins which, I wouldn’t say we deserved three one-nil wins, but we found a way to win.”

“But here at Priestfield, two home games, one in the League, where we were miles better than Accrington, who I think are also in the top five at the moment.”

“Going into Saturday, the previous game is irrelevant, we’ll carry that momentum but it’s a completely different game.” 

Harris went onto add that a behind doors friendly on Tuesday had given him a chance to give some fringe players much needed game time, before confirming that striker Oli Hawkins is back training on grass, but his heel injury (plantar fasciitis) means he is not yet training properly and is likely to be missing for some time yet.

The manager also indicated that he may have a new face in the squad for Saturday but declined to comment further!