Gillingham captain Max Ehmer is looking up, not down.

Just five points separate the Gills and the League 1 drop zone but Ehmer, who was made skipper under new boss Ady Pennock, is sure they will steer clear of danger.

He said: “There are 18 games left and more than enough time to do something good.

“I always look up. We’ll see what teams we can pick off next, pick them off one by one and climb up the table.”

Asked if they should fear the drop, he said: “Not with the team we have here, with the staff and the fans behind us.”

Gills are without a win in their last six and will be hoping to break that run by being the first team to pick up maximum points at Bradford this season.

He said: “All away games are tough but especially Bradford. We go there confident and if we stick to our game-plan, then I am confident we can win. If we do that, we can beat most sides.”

Ehmer, who turns 25 on Friday, was close to a winner last Saturday, hitting a post late on against Shrewsbury with the score at 1-1.

He said: “It was frustrating but it was a tight angle. We had other chances to win and they had chances, too, but it’s a point and we’ll build on it.”

The central defender has five goals this season and just last week was officially credited with the winner against Walsall after deflecting Jay Emmanuel-Thomas’ shot past Neil Etheridge.

Ehmer might now have the armband but it hasn’t changed the way he plays.

He said: “I lead the team out but I don’t change the way I play. When I first came into league football my talking wasn’t as good but now, as I am getting more confident and older, my talking is getting a lot better.

“All managers come in with new ideas, different things they want to do and making me captain was one of them.”

Read the full interview in Friday's Medway Messenger.