After starting last weekend’s nail-biting win over Newport County, on loan Jonny Smith is hoping for a starting place as Gillingham head North to Yorkshire to face struggling Harrogate Town this weekend. 

And for the on-loan Wigan wide man, he’s hoping to play a big part in the Gills’ hoped for post Christmas push up the SKYBet League Two table. 

Speaking to KSN at this week’s briefing, Smith told us, “It’s massive for the confidence that we go there after winning last weekend. Watching from the side over the last couple of months there have been a number of games where I thought that we deserved more out of them and given us more points over that run, but it wasn’t to be!”

“So, to get three points on Saturday was really good for us and hopefully now we can build on that now!” 

“After the game, the dressing room was buzzing! Garath (McCleary) came on and was brilliant as well as Vokesy (Sam Vokes), but I thought the whole team played well, and it was a really good atmosphere in there after the game.” 

“Games like that make you start believing again that you can get up that League; wins breed confidence and that is probably one of the biggest things in football.”

“It makes everyone five or more percent better and you could see how much it meant to the fans as well at the end as well, it was a big win and hopefully we can build on that now starting on Saturday at Harrogate!” 

“I came here to help the lads and play, but it hasn’t worked out like that – it’s been a frustrating couple of months but that is part of football, injuries do happen so the best you can do is to help the lads around the changing room and be a positive influence off the pitch!” 

“The staff here are probably the best that I worked with – they all come in on a Monday and it is a fresh week and they get the lads going again, but it does help of course when you win a game like Saturday’s and coming in on Monday was a happier place!” 

“We know that the Newport win won’t count for much if we don’t get anything at Harrogate,” Smith went on.  

Ironically Harrogate’s last League win was that game at Priestfield back in September that ended the Gills record breaking unbeaten League run, a game that Smith remembers, “They were a good side when they came to Priestfield, and we know how dangerous they can be.”

“Saturday is going to be tough, but we do need to kick on now and get back to where we were earlier in the season.” 

“I have been training now for a few weeks and had fifty-five, sixty minutes at the weekend. I am just about getting back to my best that I know that I can produce in this League, so I’ve just got to keep going now!”