Gillingham assistant manager Richard Dobson is expecting a more open game this weekend as Gills travel to Blundell Park to take on Grimsby Town on Saturday.
Dobson discussed the preparations for the fixture and was encouraged by what he saw in training earlier in the week.
There is some positive news on the injury front, with club captain Armani Little expected to play a role at Grimsby. The Gills assistant manager also provided updates on Aaron Rowe, Garath McCleary and Euan Williams.
Preparing for Grimsby Town...
They are an interesting side. We have watched several of their games so far this season, and if you play the game on their terms, they are good. They struggled a little bit with the teams that have played the game on their terms. I think that there is a 3-0 loss at Barnet in there somewhere along the way. We have had a good look at what those teams have done to Grimsby.
The work we have done on the training ground is starting to reap its benefits. Tuesday's training session was up there amongst one of the best in my 25 years of coaching. I loved it. When I talk about the belief in the boys, we are in a decent position at the moment, so it's not a lack of belief, but when they start to really believe how good they can be and take the shackles off, as I saw on Tuesday, then I am looking forward to the fans seeing that version of us.
What to expect on Saturday…
I have always had big respect for Dave Artell. It’s been a little while since we have done battle, but it will be good to see him. It’s a tactical battle of wits on the touchline, and there is a game going on in the middle of the park that reflects that.
I’m looking forward to the challenge. It’s going to be a different type of game from last weekend. I will imagine a far more open game. Probably a good one for the neutral this weekend. I just hope that we come out on the right side of it.
Team news...
Armani's back and around the group now, which is good. We have missed him with his leadership and strong influence amongst the group, so we will see whether he starts or comes off the bench at the weekend.
[Josh Andrews returning from suspension] - Josh gives us another option in attack, so we’re pretty strong in that area at the moment.
[On Aaron Rowe] - He caught a little bit of an injury. It wasn’t too bad. We’re hoping that within the next week to ten days, he will be back with us again. It wasn’t one that we were going to risk the other day.
[On Garath McCleary] - He’s got a slight problem with his calf. I think it was in the Harrogate game, where we thought he might have got a kick afterwards, and he has carried that through. Hopefully, he won’t be too long. Maybe a couple of weeks.
[On Euan Williams] - The doctor has put the reins on him a little bit. He’s not quite there just yet. We’ve got to be careful with something like that. He’s in training and looks sharp. He can’t do contact at this moment in time. We’re just waiting for the green light for him to get into contact with people. The good thing is that he’s doing everything else.
On drawing Newport County in the FA Cup…
I’m very matter of fact about these things. It’s another League Two side, and ideally, you want to play someone outside of your league. We know that we can go there and win, having done it recently. They have obviously had a difficult start to the season, but it all changes when it comes to cup games.
We’re well aware of their strengths, having played against them. They were very good against us for 20-25 minutes in that game. It’s a case of you get who you get, and you have to go there and do the job professionally.
