Kyle Dempsey says confidence is high in the camp as the Gills prepare to head to Bloomfield Road.
Gillingham’s box-to-box battler Kyle Dempsey said his teammates are “fired up” for the final seven games of the season, starting with Blackpool away on Easter Monday.
The club’s captain has been leading by example in the Gills’ engine room, showing plenty of mobility and bite, chipping in with goals and laying on assists as the Gills barged themselves temporarily into the top six. They may have slipped out after rival teams played their games in hand on Friday, but Dempsey wants to see the Kent side return, and stay there.
Speaking with local press on Zoom ahead of Monday’s Sky Bet League One clash with the Seasiders, Dempsey said: “We just need to go out there and do our stuff from now until the end of the year. If we keep our determination and grit, then it puts us in good stead to finish the season strong.
“There aren’t many teams in this league who can outbattle us and we also have the individual quality to shine. We have seven games to go, and it’s all about trying to get as many three points as possible.
“If you look back at some of our results, we have played some really good sides who at the time have been in good form. The way we have imposed ourselves in these games, we have blown these teams away. We have had some really good results which has led to a snowball effect of us gaining confidence.
“A lot of people put us as underdogs in every game we go into. Some of the comments you see after games when we have beaten bigger teams about our style of football just fuels me. We know we are in their heads. We are a very good League One side and we are showing that.”
Blackpool, one of a number of rival clubs vying for a sought-after play-off spot, will be keen to halt Gillingham’s good run of form, but Dempsey has other ideas and insists his iron-willed side will roll over for no one.
He said: “You won’t get a second on the ball with us, we are direct and right in your face. It’s a battle from the first whistle to the last.
“We are finding ways to win and are a team that is hard to break down. One loss in nine shows the sort of form that we have found ourselves in, in probably the most crucial part of the season.
“You have to respect this Blackpool side, they have been in great form and had great results against good sides. But for us, we are massively confident. We have played some good sides over the last few weeks and we haven’t been beat.
“It’s about doing the same as we have done recently; we look to go there and get three points. It’s massive for us.”