Gillingham boss Steve Lovell has been reflecting on his side climbing out of the League One relegation zone on the back of successive Saturdays where the Gills have kept a clean sheet in securing wins over Scunthorpe Untied and then last weekend at Wycombe Wanderers.

“If we can keep being strong defensively we’ll keep getting results,” Lovell told KSN this week, “and that’s been proved in the last couple of weeks – the away win at Wycombe was a good team performance and one we’ve come to know away from home where we defend quite well and get a goal at the end of the game and so it was very pleasing.”

“It wasn’t so much just the defence – it’s the whole team from the front through the midfield to the back line and the goalkeeper who all have roles and responsibilities and it’s important that they adhere to, what we ask them to do does show what happens when they do and we get results and shows that we can keep clean sheets and if we can keep that going until the end of the season, we’ll get to where we want to go.”

“Graham (Burke) and Leo (da Silva Lopes) have cemented their place in the team at the moment, but they’ve got to keep it going as there are other boys not in the team at the moment who are dying to get in – Dean Parrett the case in point who came on for Billy Bingham last week, to do just that and had a good game, so he’ll keep his place and that’s the way it is.”

“If they get the chance and do well then, they’ll stay in. It’s important that they keep their places, but then that’s football and that’s what it’s all about. They’ve got to be professional enough to get themselves in the team and keep the other boys out.”

“I think we have got a squad whereby we can change and change different shapes and different formations within the squad that we’ve got, and I can change and keep the same shape. It adaptable and I think that everyone knows what their capabilities are and what their responsibilities are when they onto the field and that’s what we work on in training during the week and we’re taking them into the games now.”

“The only way they can keep their place in the team is to perform well – that was even the case at Sunderland where we lost to the two penalties and it’s important that the players know that too, that I won’t keep them in the team and if we get bad results or if certain circumstances happen in the game are not what we want and that’s the only reason some of the other players get will be back in the team and it’s important that they respond and keep their place!”

“There’s got to be competition for all the positions across the squad – we can only keep eleven happy but if the ones who are picked in the eleven keep performing then they do my job for me!”

“There might be an occasion when we change something during the game against someone and then the players on the bench can come on and adapt to that but basically it’s eleven out there and if it means eleven stay on there for ninety minutes and we get a result then that’s what happens.”

“But this year we have changed things – just last week we had three subs in the end and ended up getting a win out of it. If things need changing, I’m not afraid to changing them as I stick to my beliefs and my principals and hopefully, we’ll continue to get the results.”

“It’s hard sometimes on the subs who come on and win games for you, but you’ve got to look at the overall picture and there will times this season when Regan (Charles-Cook) will get back in the teams as will all of them as it’s a squad game and that’s the way I’ll use it!”

“Elliott (List) is a little bit unfortunate not to be in the team at the minute; Brandon (Hanlan) is playing really, really well – it’s the best he’s played for us – so Listy’s got to wait for his opportunity so he knows that he’ll be involved between now and the end of the season and it will be a big say as well as will all the squad as there’s still twelve games to go and the team could change on a weekly basis if we don’t get the results and when those opportunities come it will be down to them to take them!”

Turning his attention to this weekend’s trip to Fleetwood, Lovell said, “We know that it’ll be a very tight affair and with Joey (Barton) in charge you’ll imagine that their work ethic will be spot on and it is! So, it’ll be a very tough game for us now, but they all are now… We’ve got twelve games to go and they’re twelve good games and ones that you’re looking forward to because ultimately we want to get up as high as we can in this League and we’ve given ourselves an opportunity which hopefully we can continue that, but as I said before March will be a massive month not just for us, for not just ourselves but from 12th place down and that will depend in the next four or five games as to where ultimately we finish in this League.”

Team new too was mixed. “I’m disappointed for Billy (Bingham) as he’s probably going to be out for about a month as I think he’s torn a calf which is a shame and hopefully he’ll be back for the last month…” Lovell confirmed before adding, “We’re still hoping that Ricky (Holmes) could be involved next week for the first time but he’s got an injury that you can’t rush back and we’ve got to make sure that he’s 100% right before he comes back as if it’s not right, he’ll be out for the rest of the season, whereas we’d obviously sooner have him back for the last ten games as that was the plan originally!”