Gills Captain says there have been positive signs in last few games
Gills skipper Adam Barrett says the squad can go in to the game against Rotherham with no fear on Saturday having claimed an impressive victory against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane two weeks ago.Peter Taylor’s men travel to New York Stadium having secured all three points last season following a 2-1 win, but the Captain hopes that the midweek performance over Stevenage will be repeated on the road.
Speaking to the club website he said: “There is a gap opening up a little bit below us and we are not far off the top half of the table so I think if you had said at the start of the season after 17 or 18 games that we would be in that sort of position I think you would have taken it.
“It’s a tough league, we have come up a division, there is a long way to go as we know. We are improving, the last couple of months we have got a lot more wins on the board so to bounce back from Saturday was a good result and that takes us in to a tough game away at Rotherham with three points under our belt.
“Last year we beat them at their place but it was a tough game and they dominated to be honest. We know what they are about, they have had a good start to their season and they have carried on with their momentum from last year, probably better than us, and they are in a great position.
“The new stadium is a fantastic set up and they get good crowds in so we need to roll our sleeves up and scrap for everything but we have proved we can go to places like Sheffield United and we will be looking to go up there and do the same.”
Adam said the players responded to the defeat to Oldham in the best possible way, and believes there have been significant signs of improvement in the last couple of weeks.
He added: “I thought we were by far the better team [against Stevenage], when we went 1-0 down we couldn’t believe it really because I don’t think they had anything in the half.
“I know the performance on Saturday against Oldham wasn’t great but we have won four of our last seven games under the new boss and that’s a good record.
“It’s not going to be great every week and sometimes you can’t put your finger on it. Little things go for you and sometimes things go against you but we’ll stick together, we are a good group of players who work extremely hard and we believe we can climb this table.
“We’re not bottom of the table adrift by 10 points, we’re in a pack with teams in a similar position so we are improving and we know Saturday we were disappointed but we responded in the right way and it was a big three points.”
Adam commented on the new arrivals that have joined the club in recent weeks, and praised fellow defender Donervon Daniels in particular on the impact he had on his debut.
He said: “The gaffer has got his views on who he wants to play and what system and has brought some new faces in and that freshens things up.
“The boys have settled in really well and have come in to the squad and the longer we play and get to know them the better we will gel. Craig has only played a couple of games and is just getting to match fitness.
“Donervon is a young lad, has come in and took his goal fantastic the other night and you can see he is a willing learner. He wants to improve and it’s a good addition to the squad and anyone that can improve it is what we want.
“We saw what he’s good at, it was the first time I played alongside him and I enjoyed it. I thought the signs the other night were very promising.
“It’s early doors but we have made them feel very welcome. We are in it together and hopefully we can get stronger.”
Watch Adam’s exclusive interview in full on Gills Player.