Gills head coach Ady Pennock speaks to the press ahead of Saturday's trip to Oldham Athletic
Newly-appointed head coach Ady Pennock has declared his excitement about taking charge of the Gills for the first time in Saturday's Sky Bet League One fixture away to Oldham Athletic.
Speaking to the media on Thursday morning, Pennock also stressed the importance of claiming three points when his side make the trip to Boundary Park.
Pennock on…his first week in charge: “[It’s been] a very good week. Obviously I’ve been fortunate in that I could work with the players at the weekend. They’ve been very good, very responsive, and have put a lot of hard work in. It’s been a very good week, very productive.
“[I’ve been] working with sections [of the team] and obviously collectively as a team. They’ve responded really well and I’m really looking forward to Saturday. The proof will be in the pudding on Saturday.
"Obviously I want to start as we mean to go on. It’s important to get three points as we’ve got to start positively. I’m looking forward to it, because it’ll be the first time for me to say hello to the fans."
Pennock on…his players this week: “They’ve been brilliant, they’ve been fantastic. [They’ve learned] different ideas through different voices with Jamie [Day], Steve [Lovell] and Neil [Withington] with me as well.
“But I can’t complain at all. They’re buzzing; they can’t wait for Saturday and likewise for us, we just can’t wait for the game.
“They [the players] haven’t moaned or groaned. They’ve just got on with it to be fair. They’ve been brilliant and I cannot complain at all. Long may that continue.”
Pennock on…Oldham: “I went [to Oldham] on Tuesday [to see them play Mansfield in the Checkatrade Trophy]. I’ve said all along, there’s no easy game in this league or any league. It’s an important game for them but I’m focused on us. We’re going to go up there and hopefully get the three points.
“Obviously their formation [is key to focus on]; they play three at the back. But I’ll be honest I’m really focusing on us. We [need to] go there with a good attitude and play how I want us to play. I want to be really positive.
“Like I said when I first got the job we need to hit the ground running and it’ll be great if we can get the three points [on Saturday]. It’s going to be tough but we’ve got to go there and more concentrate on us than anything else. If we get those three points then I’ll be very, very pleased.”
Pennock on…team selection: “Obviously I’m not going to show my hand at this present time. But I’ve worked with all of them individually and spoke to all of them individually.
“I do believe we’ve got the players in the squad who can start Saturday. But everyone will be important. We’ve got 21 games and they’re massive games for us. I can’t wait for that first game.
“We have got a bit of illness in the camp. Unfortunately there are three or four who have gone down with illness which is a bit of a blow. But we’ve still got another 48 hours before Saturday.”
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