Gillingham assistant manager Richard Dobson is expecting a difficult test as Cheltenham Town and their new manager Steve Cotterill travel to the MEMS Priestfield Stadium on Saturday.
Josh Andrews will miss the fixture due to suspension, and Dobson provided team news for Saturday's game as well as an update on Conor Masterson's recovery from his calf problem.
Dobson also had a positive update on manager Gareth Ainsworth as he continues his recovery from surgery.
On Cheltenham and new manager Steve Cotterill...
They've obviously got a different way of playing now, which we have studied. I expect them to come with a narrow back four this weekend, with two wingers that sit a bit deeper. He's well organised, he's good at what he does, and he is a very experienced manager.
He's going to want to win at the weekend. He's going to want to get on a roll there and kick-start their season. We know that we're in for a difficult test and a different test. We're at home and we're looking forward to the challenge, as we always do. It will be great to get outside and play in front of Priestfield again.
Team News...
Josh [Andrews] is suspended. We've picked up injuries and have been hit by injuries, which has been tough this week. Obviously, it affected selection last week at MK Dons, and it affected what we did in midweek, and it will affect this weekend as well. The medical team are working ever so hard to get players back in the fold, and we have got to sit tight and wait and see where they are.
We're hoping that we might be able to get one or two out for the weekend. If not, that's why we have a squad. It obviously restricts options off the bench, and it restricts options in terms of what you do in certain positions, and in team selection and formation selection.
[On Conor Masterson's recovery from his calf injury] - He has come out of the boot now, which was tough for him because he was walking around in that thing for a while. The next stage for him is more mobility, but it's not one that we're going to push. It's a longer-term one. A bit of a nasty one, so we're going to take it as it comes, but he's making progress, which is a positive sign.
The attitude within the group...
The players are a good bunch and train ever so well. I'm happy with what I am seeing in training, and I am happy with what I am seeing around the place. It has been a good start. We have had a couple of defeats on the spin in the league now, but we are fourth in the table and are in a really good position.
I don't think that we can get too worried about a couple of defeats. We obviously want to stem that and get a win on the board pretty quickly, but I have no issues with what I am seeing in terms of attitude with the group and where they are.
Update on Gareth Ainsworth...
It's good news. I spoke with him yesterday morning [Wednesday], and he sounded really upbeat and much better than he had sounded earlier in the week. He had watched the game [Colchester] the other night, and we spoke about that. He was going to watch Cheltenham and wanted to get involved in team selection and tactics, so I told him what we had found in terms of watching Cheltenham so far, and we shared ideas.
I got a call again last night, and he had been discharged from the hospital. The good news is that we thought it was going to be Thursday or Friday, and he is out a day earlier. I am really happy about that. He had slept well and was full of beans, and it was great to hear him in such good spirits. It's really good progress. The game the other night was the only one that we have done without him. He's back involved, and we had a good conversation last night about Cheltenham.
