Midfielder Elliot Watt feels like he is starting to reach the sort of performance levels that he achieved last season as his run of games in the side continues.
The 23-year-old missed the start of the campaign with an appendix issue and made his return in September against Notts County, but since then he hasn’t missed a league game.
His performances last season led to a number of honours, including the players’ Player of the Year and most recently the North West Football Awards League Two Player of the Year, and Salford’s uplift in results since has been no coincidence.
The Ammies are currently 15th in League Two, six points behind the last play-off place, but with just over a third of the season played Elliot is optimistic that there are enough points available to catch up the leading pack.
“I’ve felt as though it took me a little while to get up to speed, it’s probably only the last four or five games where I feel as though I’m starting to hit my standards again, I set very high standards for myself so the games previous to that I felt as though I was playing well but it wasn’t quite my level that I set myself.
"It was a new experience for me being out injured, I’ve never been out injured, if I have I’ve probably missed one game maximum, so to be out for that lengthy period of time it was something new to me. Coming back it was like learning on the job and seeing how I could deal with it, and having to adapt, so it was a new experience and I felt as though it took me a bit of time to get back to my level but I feel as though I’m getting there now.
“I don’t think it’s a bad position at all, there’s a lot similar to last season in terms of the points we’ve dropped. I just feel as though there’s quite a few games that we’ve been in control of and silly mistakes have led to goals conceded, and have ended up costing us so we probably look back at games like that and think we could be in the play-offs, but I think our league position, the league table, at the minute is a bit false.
“We’ll probably get an idea of where teams are going to finish up around February, so until then we’ve got to keep plugging away, keep getting better every week, and see where we are come the end of the season.”
The league is now Salford’s only focus this season after Tuesday night’s agonising penalty shootout defeat to Peterborough United in the Emirates FA Cup First Round replay.
It was even more so for Elliot, whose penalty to win the tie came off the inside of the post, but his resilience has helped him to re-focus and he believes that if the team can replicate their performance levels from the games against Peterborough, who have been doing well in League One, then the Ammies can start picking up more points more consistently.
“I was a little bit frustrated, more with myself than the team for missing that last penalty that would have put us through but, that is football, it can’t always be the good times and you’ve got to take the bad with the good.
“Very proud of the team for the performance, there were some very stern words said at half time when we were 3-1 down, we were a bit frustrated because we felt we started the game really well.
“Overall we’re proud of the second half performance and the performance in extra time, to take a team that are flying high in League One right to the very end in two close games like that, it’s frustrating, but it shows what we’re capable of if we put our minds to it and we perform to our levels.
"I’m the type of player where I don’t get too high when I’m high, and I don’t get too down when I’m down, it’s something I’ve been told since I was a young lad from my Dad, even last season when I was hitting the heights, getting assists, I was never getting too carried away I was kind of keeping my feet on the ground and work towards the next game. Once I woke up on Wednesday morning there was that little bit of frustration but I’ve put that to the side of me now and all focus is on Gillingham.”
New Gills Head Coach, Stephen Clemence, takes charge of his first home league game, and he will be aiming to pick up a first three points after last weekend’s defeat at Wrexham.
TEAM NEWS
Ethan Ingram serves a one-match suspension after picking up five yellow cards, but Declan John is available for selection.
HOW TO WATCH
Due to the international break, the game is available to watch for £10 on the website if you can’t join us at MEMS Priestfield Stadium. Live, full and exclusive club commentary is also available for £2.50.