A dour weekend display left Gills boss Ady Pennock to admit his side are facing a relegation battle.

Gillingham claimed a last-gasp draw against Port Vale but it wasn’t glossing over a sorry performance infront of the lowest league crowd at Priestfield this season.

They are next in action tomorrow (Tuesday) night against second-bottom Chesterfield.

“We are fighting for our lives as well,” said Pennock. “There are a lot of points to play for but we are in a battle, we’re not silly.

“When you don’t keep clean sheets you are in trouble. On Saturday we would have had to score twice (to win) and the week before three goals. All season it has been a problem.

“It is a huge game on Tuesday now, it’s massive. If we don’t turn up we will lose or draw the game again. We have to turn up and get three points.

“They are not going to just roll over. It has to be better, better than we were on Saturday.”

Pennock’s arrival as Justin Edinburgh’s replacement last month was met with renewed hopes of a play-off push but that has quickly disappeared.

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The Gills are without a win in eight games and now sit just four points off the League 1 drop zone.

Gillingham have impressed on the road recently, battling for points against promotion-chasing Bradford and Sheffield United, but their inability to keep it tight at the back is frustrating Pennock.

“You have to die for the cause and keep clean sheets,” he added.

“It doesn’t matter who you play against, you have to get your head cut or a broken nose, you might lose your teeth like I did.

“They did it at Bradford and Sheffield United but they have to do it every single week, you can’t just turn up to so-called bigger games and do it.

“To come back here and play like that (on Saturday) is frustrating. It is what it is. We move on now and we have a big game on Tuesday.”