Two wins from last two games is the target, says Stuart O'Keefe.
Feeling sorry for yourself is not an option for Gillingham midfielder Stuart O’Keefe, who is targeting six points from the season’s two remaining fixtures.
With the play-off dream seemingly over, Gills’ no.4 says two strong performances and maximum points would be the perfect way to see out a dramatic season which the Club can be proud of.
O’Keefe, speaking with local press via Zoom ahead of Saturday’s clash with Burton Albion, said: “We have been right in the mix up until the last game and we have had a real good effort; everyone at the Club has worked so hard. Credit to everyone in the squad. Seeing where we could have been has made it so much harder to take but we just need to finish these last two games and see where it takes us.
“The Gaffer and Paul Raynor have said that we can’t really feel sorry for ourselves in this scenario, we need to finish strongly and take something positive into the summer. We are the underdogs in most games we play; we will keep fighting right until the end and finish as strongly as we can.
“Gillingham are a more competitive outfit now and people take us a bit more seriously. I don’t think anyone expects to get anything from Gillingham without having a real fight. There aren’t many teams who have turned us over and we have established ourselves as a top-half team. We can mix it up with anyone in the division.”
This weekend’s opponents Burton Albion will be no pushover though. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink took charge of the relegation-bound Brewers in January but has since gone on to defy the odds, moving them comfortably clear of the drop zone in impressive fashion.
O’Keefe said: “They have done exceptionally well. When they came to us in Jimmy’s first game, they were rock bottom. To be where they are at, and scoring five the other night, is exceptional, so credit to Jimmy and everyone at Burton. They have dug themselves out of a massive hole and proved a lot of people wrong. They will be a big test for us on Saturday, make no mistake about that.
“We have to turn up, do it right and be professional because that is what we are about. We deserve to give ourselves and the fans every chance to finish as high as we can. We will do everything we can to finish on a positive and hopefully we can finish with six points.”