Manager Steve Evans is still hoping for three more signings in the transfer window, but that will have to wait until after this weekend’s trip to Sunderland.

Gillingham take their unbeaten three game run to the North East this weekend as they make the long trip to face Sunderland as the transfer window nears closure.

Boss Steve Evans in his weekly press briefing talked about the departure of back up keeper Joe Walsh to West London this week, before turning his focus on arguably the Gills toughest away game thus far as the look for revenge following the Black Cats 2-0 win at Priestfield back on Halloween.

The Gills boss spoke about the departure of back up keeper Joe Walsh to Queens Park Rangers and explained, “I gave the Chairman my idea of a valuation for Joe back in the summer when we had considerable interest in him.”

“It’s fair to say that when the Chairman rang me and told me that the valuation had been met, within half an hour, he told me that a second Midlands based Championship club had agreed the same deal.”

“When Joe was given permission to talk to both, he was actually on his way to QPR when a manager in the Scottish Premier League told me that they would match the offer as well!”

“I think that Joe had already decided where he wanted to go after speaking to his mum and his grandparents – that he wanted to stay as close to hand as he can… I think it was a good deal for our football club – the fact that the Chairman accepted it in these difficult times tells us that it helps our football club a little bit more with funding and a little bit more security.”

“Joe is a young man who will be playing comfortably, comfortably in the Championship, if not the Premier League and he’s got a wonderful career to look forward to, if he continues to focus, work hard and stay very grounded which he has been so far.”

“We’ve set our budgets at the start of the window on what we can do and can’t do, so we’re still active – we’re still looking for a striker to compliment what we’ve got; we’re still looking for a wide player to compliment what we’ve got and we’re still considering a central midfielder player if it’s the right type.”

“So, we’re looking, we’re active, we’re in conversations until late Friday when the focus quite rightly goes onto the game on Saturday, and then we’ll pick it up again on Sunday.”

Evans did go on to confirm that the club did have a replacement for Walsh in place and it has been confirmed that former Stevenage keeper Sacha Bastien, who has been training with the club for several weeks, has now put pen to paper and travels North with the squad.

As he focused on the weekend, the Gills boss first looked back at Tuesday’s 4-1 win over Crewe and he admitted, “The first forty-five minutes was up there with the best that we’ve played,” Evans said.

“If we’d have given a side like Crewe time to play, we’d have had a real problem as they are the best footballing team in the League – ten games unbeaten and some of the scalps they’ve taken proves that!”

“Sunderland will be a completely different challenge – we’re playing against arguably the team with the best players in the League. And to be fair, so they should have given the finances and the resources that they have available to them.”

“Add to that a change of manager and that normally produces an upturn in results, and I think Lee (Johnson the new Sunderland boss) is starting to see that now. The gloves seem to have come off with spats with certain key players for me, like McGeady who’s possibly the highest paid player in League One but he’s an absolutely fantastic player and I’ve got no qualms with that, as if someone offers you a contract, you go ahead and sign it.”

“He’s been brought back into the fold and he’s been outstanding since. It won’t just be about him – White’s on fire up front and the boy Winchester is a good signing – I looked at him a couple of times myself, but we couldn’t afford to buy him – so we know we’re going to be up against a good team at the weekend in an absolutely fantastic football stadium.”

“It’s a Premier League stadium all day and is iconic in British football and we’re all looking forward to playing there!”

“Any time you normally go to Sunderland, their fans are gold star – they get right behind their team and get very passionate like they are here in Gillingham but they’re passionate up there in bigger numbers!”

“So, the fact that they won’t be there makes it for me more of a level playing field – more of a perhaps neutral ground as it won’t be such an intimidating atmosphere, hopefully…”