Manager Neil Harris praised his Gillingham players for overcoming tricky conditions on Saturday to pull off another win.

Harris admitted his side weren’t at their best but in 30-plus degrees heat, it was always going to be a tough one. In the end a 95th-minute goal from Shaun Williams won it, following a corner.

Harris said: “I thought in spells we were really good, other times our decision-making was a little bit off, especially in the final third where we needed that little bit of creative spark but what I will say is thanks to the fans that came, in this ridiculous weather, and then a top effort from all of my players on the pitch.

“For my players to go all the way like they did, scoring in the 100th-odd minute, it is a brilliant achievement and it was so, so difficult.

“That’s got to be the hottest conditions I have been involved in this country, when we’ve been abroad for pre-season like in Como, it has been worse, but that was really difficult and I think the majority of fans understood that.

“That’s why we knocked the ball out of play a couple of times, turned down the opportunity to play it forward, there’s a little understanding in that, but it’s League 2 football, all of the good play that we’ve got and the moments of madness where we didn’t make the right pass or the right cross or shot, it comes down to a set-play.

“I asked the lads at half-time, don’t be reactive in the box, let’s be a little more proactive. The last time I said it was last season and Shaun Williams popped up with a 94th-minute winner, same as today. I am really pleased and delighted for my players.

“I said before the game to the players we are going to make mistakes, they were going to make it because of the weather and you just do. I said ‘you are going to make it but please don’t dwell on it, to a certain degree I am going to have to accept it’.

“The only time I got animated was when we turned down the opportunity to play it forward a little bit quicker, at times, because whenever we got the crowd involved and played forward quicker and got after the ball, that is when we really came together as a unit, the fans and the players out on the pitch, where we looked at our most dangerous, that was the only time but I can’t bemoan the players, it’s a terrific result.”

It’s a fifth 1-0 win of the season for Gillingham and they returned back to the top of the table after the win.

Harris said: “Stats wise, Harrogate are as good as anyone on the counter-attack and they would have seen us against Colchester get done twice on the counter-attack and would have seen us at Grimsby (losing 2-0), which I take responsibility for, the wrong team, wrong legs, they would have seen that and picked a team accordingly.

Fair play to my players, not just a defensive unit but goalkeeper and front players as well for being solid.”