Gillingham head coach Stephen Clemence on their League 2 play-off hopes with three games to go –Barrow head to Priestfield on Saturday

Gillingham head coach Stephen Clemence insists they aren’t giving up on the play-offs.

The Gills start the weekend 12th in League 2 - five points off the play-offs, with three games to play. They have a far inferior goal difference to their rivals and other teams chasing a top-seven spot have an additional game to play.

It’s a very unlikely prospect but while there’s hope, Clemence and his players will keep fighting. They take on sixth-placed Barrow this Saturday at home.

He said: “You don’t ever give up, do you? That’s not in my mindset.

“You just have to take care of what’s coming up at the weekend and while it is mathematically possible we’re not giving up, of course.

“You never know what can happen in football. I don’t like talking about what could happen in three games’ times because we have to take care of Saturday. If we win on Saturday the picture could look different again.

“Right now my focus is on giving a really good performance, as good as we can in front of our home supporters, to try and beat Barrow at the weekend.”

The Gills moved up a place to 12th on Thursday, leapfrogging Morecambe after they were docked three points by the Football League for breaching financial regulations.

It’s not a position Clemence is happy about being in.

He said: “We have’t hit our targets and that is why we are where we are in the table, but all I am telling the boys at the moment is to concentrate on the next game.

“We have worked hard in training, I believe they are still right there having a go and we are working on a game-plan to beat Barrow.

“I don’t want to finish the season in the position we are in now and the challenge is to finish as high as we can, and try and win as many of the last three, can we win them all? That