Are the good times really returning to Priestfield?  Five successive wins at home all without conceding suggests that times are certainly improving

This weekend, Steve Evans takes his charges to the Highbury Stadium to face a Fleetwood Town side whose home record is bettered only by Wycombe Wanderers and Peterborough United, with the Gills looking for a place in the top half of League One.

However the conversation this week at the manager’s briefing soon centred on the injury that forced Mark Byrne out of the Sunderland win last weekend and it would appear out of the rest of the season as well. 

“I’m gutted for him – I spoke to Mark on Wednesday! Gutted for him, he’s one of those cheeky little chappies in the dressing room who everyone like and you can’t fail to like Brynner – I hope our chat has lifted him up a little bit.  His operation is scheduled for early next week and then he’s got to rest over the Christmas period. And after that he’ll come in and spend the next four or five months trying to get fit.

“I can’t dress it up – he won’t be back before the end of the season; the plan is that we get him back in full training in July for preseason next year.  But we’ll make sure that he does everything that he should do to give himself the chance to come back stronger and not weaker than hes ever played before in professional football. It doesn’t help us and doesn’t help him but a long lay off may help him further down his career.

“We do have options in there – Matty (Willock) has finished his four sessions a day rehab, hes got himself really, really fit which is good.  Stuart (O’Keefe) has trained all week and he’s fine for the weekend and Mark Marshall came on against Sunderland – he’s done really well when hes come on for us; it’ll be a question of whether we go with a wider player in that role or whether we go with a secure box-to-box player like Stuart or Matty.

“We’ll make that decision after we all sit down before the weekend. We’ll try and strengthen the group in January as a result, but I’m still waiting to have that meeting with the Chairman.  We’ll be looking to strengthen in two or three areas – they’ll be natural evolution as those who aren’t getting enough game time to not satisfy themselves or us. And those not being able to get into the team probably five or six months in will probably think that my chance isn’t going to come of the minute. So, we could be looking at loan or permanent options away… but we’ll worry about that in January”.                                                                                                           

The conversation then moved onto the weekend and the trip to Fleetwood with the Gills boss being asked what it would take to win the game, to which he replied. 

“We have to score one more goal than them to get the points against a very good side who have won nine out of eleven matches at home. I said earlier in the week that I’m wholly respectful and have a real admiration for the manager – Joey Barton – I don’t think he gets the recognition he deserves for being a fantastic player – I saw him live on a number of occasions and in his first management role and I’m sure that they’ll make the Play Offs.  They’re full of good players – a couple of who have played for me in the past – so they’ll be a real threat to us.

“Joey was another one in the mould of Roy Keane, wasn’t he?  Not always truly popular with his teammates as he demanded so much of them but had the best respect for the them – his demands are top, top drawer as they were as a player and I know that they are as a manager. 

“We know what kind of game we’re going to get at Fleetwood – we’ve done our homework and I know it will be tough. I’ve come across him before when I was at Peterborough and he was at Fleetwood – they were by far the better team and we beat them one-nil!  I don’t know Joey at all, but he comes across to me as a real football guy.”

With all the massive League games ahead, talk naturally moved onto the Third Round FA Cup tie against West Ham United and the fact that tickets are currently on sale for season ticket holders.

“Theres no doubt that we’re not going to have enough tickets,” Evans enthused.  “Priestfield could be twice the size and there wouldn’t be enough for amount of supporters who want to watch the game,  I think for the days that the tickets have been on sale for season ticket holders, I’ve seen emails going round from the Chief Executive that the demand has been unprecedented.  It looks like the game will be sold out by the first day of general sale which will make it a wonderful occasion to look forward to after the New Year!”