Peter Taylor upbeat prior to Preston fixture at Deepdale as Gills look to guarantee league safety
Peter Taylor has insisted that this weekend’s game against Preston remains an important one for his team as they look to mathematically secure their place in Sky Bet League One.A point for the Gills would ensure their status in the third tier for next season, however other results on the day could ensure safety regardless of the score at Deepdale.
However Taylor says his players must approach the game professionally against a side who themselves still have something to play for.
Speaking to the club’s official website he said: “It will be another tough one because if they were in a play-off position where they can’t change where they will end up then I would expect them to maybe take their foot off a little bit and maybe rest a few players, but they are in a situation where they would want to finish in at least fourth place.
“They are in competition with Rotherham and they will want to win the match, simple as that. It’s a very important game for Preston, and still an important one for us, because by rights we are still not safe, even though I think we now are.”
The draw against Walsall boosted Gills points tally to 52, and although the Manager conceded it may not have been the most thrilling game to watch, he praised the players for remaining organised throughout the 90 minutes.
He added: “Walsall are very close to being a play-off team so you know they are going to be good. They have got a lovely pitch and play lots of good Football and I felt as though everything we did in the first half was OK.
“People will say it wasn’t a particularly exciting game which I understand and agree, but we looked pretty organised. In the second half it was typical us where unfortunately we concede a goal but we bounce back and the goal Cody scored was definitely his best work of the afternoon.
“The combination of Bayo and Cody was very, very good.”
Finally, Peter refused to rule out the possibility of seeing Matt Fish in action during the last game of the campaign next season against Shrewsbury.
He added: “Matt has done well; he just wasn’t well and couldn’t play in Tuesday’s friendly. Hopefully all the results go the way we want them to go, we’ll be 100% safe and then maybe people might see him for a little while against Shrewsbury.”
For the full exclusive interview, click here.