Gillingham Head Coach Stephen Clemence strengthened his squad as the January transfer window slammed shut yesterday, as his side prepares for the weekend visit of Walsall to Priestfield.
Speaking to KSN on the afternoon of Deadline Day before the signings of Josh Andrews and Jorge Hurtado and the departure of Tom Nichols was announced and ahead of Saturday’s home game, Clemence paid tribute to the two other players who left the club this week this week, Cheye Alexander and Macauley Bonne.
“I wish Macauley all the best,” the Head Coach said. “He’s been a good professional; he has not caused me any problems at all around the place.”
“He’s well respected within the group but someone in my position, you must try and freshen things up and, in that department, and this is not just Macauley, there’s lots of others involved, we have not scored enough goals, so it is my job to try and improve that.”
“Sometimes a player can be at a Club, and it just does not work out for one reason or another. Now as I say, I have no ill feeling towards Macauley, I have always got on well with him and I wish him all the best at his next Club!”
“Cheye was a great professional, a really decent lad. He’s had some really good games for the Club and played an important part in the Club staying up when they were under pressure and did very, very well, and I wish him all the best wherever he goes next.”
“I’ve always said that I will be fair to players, we brought in Romeao Hutton who in his first couple of games has done ever so well and I did not want Cheye to be a spare part and not loved around the place.”
“You always try to look after everybody, but when you are not involved, even on the training ground, it is difficult to keep those players happy, so I think it was the right thing for both parties to go separate ways.”
“Every transfer window is important as you have got to try and get your squad, your team, in a better place than when it started. I think my job as the Head Coach of the Football Club is to make sure that I do that in every window I am here, that will be my aim!”
“I do get supported from the owners, so we have got to make the most of that and keep trying to improve all the time.”
“I was at the game at Walsall earlier in the season before I joined the Club – I was in the opposite stand with Robbie (Stockdale) with our baseball caps on before we knew we might have a chance of coming here,” Clemence confessed.
“I do have to say that I think Walsall are a better team now than they were back then as they have recruited well! They’ve had some decent results and it’s going to be another tough game.”
“We’ve got to bring our performance, our A game, and then they will make sure that we will give them something to worry about too. We are at home, and I know that the crowd will get right behind us, and we have to make sure that we give them something to cheer about as well, and that will be the aim!”
The Head Coach did have disappointing news of his squad ahead of the weekend as he confirmed that Dom Jefferies is out, Clemence told us,
“He’s pulled his thigh and I am not expecting him back for a number of weeks. It’s obviously very disappointing for him and very disappointing for everybody because Dom is a really good player. He’s 21 years old and he’s someone we should be trying to build things around, it is a difficult one to take really as I thought he was absolutely fantastic against MK Dons.”
On the plus side however, Clemence is looking forward to the Priestfield crowd seeing Josh Walker for the first time. “He’s a striker who scored on his debut. I know that the fans will get behind him whether he starts or whether he does not!”
“It is exciting to have him here, we have had a full week on the training ground, and we have seen him up close this week and the boy can finish! He moves well, he links well and is going to be an asset to this Football Club.”
Clemence is also hopeful that Oli Hawkins will be involved after training Thursday following his early substitution at MK Dons last weekend.