Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth knows that his team will have to maintain their high performance levels as they host Harrogate Town on Saturday.
Garath McCleary is available for selection following a two-game suspension, which the Gills boss is pleased about. He also provided injury updates ahead of this weekend.
Ainsworth is excited to play in front of a bumper crowd at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium, especially with the Brian Moore Stand being open to home supporters.
Despite breaking the club record for consecutive league games without defeat, the 52-year-old is aiming to keep his team grounded as they anticipate a difficult game against Harrogate.
Team news…
We’ve got a few injuries back. Obviously, Garath McCleary’s suspension is up as well, which is fantastic. Some massive headaches, but I’m looking forward to picking from my squad.
Armani’s [Little] back out on the pitch, which is great. Nelson [Khumbeni] as well.
Euan [Williams] is good. He’s just got to get the all clear for contact. Once he gets the all clear for that, then Euan will be back in. He’s champing at the bit, and we’ve got a Vertu game in a couple of weeks, which I’m sure will be a great introduction if Euan is fit enough to play in that.
On the crowd at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium on Saturday…
I don’t want the boys thinking that this is some sort of party. If Harrogate think that this is some sort of party, then they will come to try and spoil it. I certainly would. What I want it to be is a statement. I want this to be a statement to the league to say that Gillingham are a decent Football Club.
When you come here, you expect a bumper crowd and big fans getting behind the home team. When you come here, you have an identity to play against. You have something that is tough to come and take something away from Priestfield. That’s what I want Saturday to be about.
Let’s get as many fans as we can in here, and let’s all get them into our way of thinking and our way of supporting this team, because honestly, the fans that have been behind me so far have really made a difference. When that Rainham End can get going, it’s something special. If we can get the Shower Seal End going [Brian Moore Stand], then it’s going to be phenomenal as well and having both ends of Gills fans trying to get the ball in the net.
I’m hoping that it works, but let’s have it as you coming to support your Football Club to get another three points against Harrogate. That’s what I want this weekend to be about.
The importance of having the right mentality in the squad and remaining focused…
Results will be byproducts of the performances. Keep the performance levels high, keep the process high, and the boys are doing it. We haven’t changed anything, we haven’t said well done, and we haven’t patted them on the back. We had a lovely moment after the game with the fans [at Newport] , and I think that was really appropriate, but nobody walked in like champagne Charlie’s thinking, ‘we’ve cracked it now’.
They won’t do that under me. There’s no chance. In this game, you can’t do that. I want them to be humble and always ready to learn, and always ready to go for the next one.
Harrogate are coming to town, and they are a tough team. They have done really well here at Priestfield. We need to make sure that we stop that record and change that.
Visiting Kent Cricket on Monday…
We went on Monday to Kent County Cricket. We met a guy called Min Patel, who represented England at test level. It’s not every day you get to get experience from another sport and somebody who has been at the top of their game, and hearing from him.
The synergy between the two sports is good. It looks a million miles away when you visually look at it, but there are all sorts of comparisons.
The lads went into some cricketing sessions and some technique work, which was great. They all bought in, which was fantastic, and then they had a game at the end, which was very competitive for all the boys. They loved that.
The big moment for me, the take-home moments, were what Min was saying in his talk, and when the boys were asking questions about the similarities in team selections.
Monday went really well. It went away from the sport of football, but it’s still connected in a way. We will do that quite often to bring the boys back down to earth. To give them a different perspective.
