Gillingham play Chesterfield away in League Two clash as manager Gareth Ainsworth hopes to keep promotion hopes alive

Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth accepts that time is running out in their bid to get involved in the promotion chase.

A game at Chesterfield on Tuesday night is the second of two big away games against sides that stand in their way of a place in the top seven.

Defeat at Crewe on Saturday leaves them nine points adrift of the play-off places in League 2 with 16 games remaining.

They need to be averaging two points a game in the final months if they want to get into the top seven, and Ainsworth said: “We've got to make these games count because we start running out of games. I don't want to run out of games.

“I want my season to end at the end of May, not the end of April.

“There's still a hell of a lot of points to go for - 48 points. That's a huge amount.

“We've got plenty of opportunities to get into these play-offs. I'd love to. I really would love to because the Gillingham fans are brilliant. They get behind us. They want it as well.

“I thought I might be able to do it in that first year [since taking over as manager], but we'll have to see.

“I'm still confident in these boys that they can go and beat any team in the league. I really do. That includes Chesterfield on Tuesday.”

Ainsworth was frustrated with how they conceded their goal at Crewe on Saturday, a major moment in a game where their own chances weren’t taken.

He said: “At the moment, we've got to start being better at defending set-pieces because three wins and a draw out of six games is good form. Three wins and three losses is average form.

“We've got to pick up. We have to pick up, and that means keeping clean sheets.”

The Gills head back to Priestfield on Saturday, for a home game against Oldham and two more matches after that against lower-league