On-loan Portsmouth defender Haji Mnoga's Gillingham stay reaches new low following Neil Harris' quip about club press officer after defeat to Sutton United

That’s after the Gills boss said the club’s media man would have done a better job defending the opening goal the Priestfield side conceded in their 2-1 defeat to Sutton United on Thursday.

Gillingham’s defeat – their fourth League Two loss in a row and their 12th of the campaign – leaves them firmly rooted at the bottom of the table and at real risk of suffering successive relegations.

However, Mnoga has played little or no part in that fight for survival, with his last league appearance coming against Leyton Orient on October 25.

In fact, the young defender has featured only five times for the struggling Gills since completing his temporary move in the summer – a stint that got off to the worst possible start when he was sent off 10 minutes into his debut.

Since then 20-year-old has struggled to force his way into Harris’ plans and has not even been included in the majority of Gillingham’s recent match-day squads.

That will see him return to the Blues in January, with his season-long loan stint at Priestfield set to be cut short.

And is it any wonder, when the club press officer is higher up the pecking order!

Speaking to the Kent Messenger about his side’s defending in the 2-1 defeat against Sutton, Harris quipped: ‘What we have done too many times recently is that we have given poor, sloppy, horrific first goals away and the one (at Sutton) was the same, right in front of our fans and we didn’t respond correctly afterwards.

‘They are right, they have seen the goal go in and if Phill (the press officer) had been playing we wouldn’t have conceded a goal like that because he would have been braver, aggressive, that is what the fans see, they want to see their players head the ball and defend, and at the other end they want to see people take a risk. We took risks, we had chances, we just didn’t score, the other end we gave away a really poor goal for the first one and so yes, I accept the criticism.’

Gillingham are hoping the cheque book will help save their Football League status, with a January overhaul of their squad expected.

Harris has already signed Tom Nichols from Crawley, who is expected to be the first of many new faces at Priestfield.

And those who are set to be axed – including Mnoga – have had their chance to, according to the manager.

‘We can’t change the league table, I am not happy with it, nobody at the football club likes it,’ added Harris.

‘I am embarrassed by it but all we can do is try and move forward and I have to try and find a way of winning games of football and let’s be honest, with what I have done, the way we have played, we haven’t won games of football.

‘We have to adjust what we do and sometimes you have to say to players, “we have to bring different players in”, every player has had an opportunity at this football club with the amount of games we have played. Nobody can say they haven’t had an opportunity to produce in their positions.

‘If players come in and take their shirts then so be it, I have to be ruthless, I have to protect the football club and be ruthless and win games of football. If it means bringing in new players who I feel can improve us then that is what I will do.’