Gillingham’s search for a new manager continues with another front runner for the position seemingly having pulled out.

With Bromley manager Andy Woodman following his Ravens predecessor Neil Smith being linked with the vacant job after Steve Evans’ sacking, Gills chairman Paul Scally has been casting his net far and wide for his new man (or woman).

Neither Smith or Woodman could agree a deal at Priestfield and this week all the attention with the bookies switched to former QPR and Millwall midfielder Marc Bircham.

However, the former Waterford manager seems now also to be out of the running and the likelyhood of Steve Lovell remaining in charge until the end of the campaign seems greater by the day.

Lovell has been in the Gillingham hotseat for the past seventeen days and has been instrumental in negotiations of the futures of players such as Vadaine Oliver and Kyle Dempsey who have both been linked with moves away from Medway.

With Dempsey the most likely to leave as Bolton Wanderers seem determined to land the midfielder in this transfer window, Lovell has been looking at a number of replacements should he leave.

That suggests Lovell will be staying until the end of the season and speaking at the weekly press conference on Thursday, the interim manager wouldn’t be drawn on how long he’d be at Priestfield. Lovell said:

“I am here to do the best I can for the Football Club. I focus on one game at a time.”

“I concentrate on the future, not on the past. It’s the points that count now; I want the players to express themselves. We need to be a bit more forward thinking. We need to be strong.”

“We will take the game to Oxford. Everyone will need to work their socks off. It’s nice that we are at home; the fans were excellent on Tuesday. We need everyone to be positive, there is no other way.”

Going into the game against Oxford United with Lovell still in charge wasn’t in the script for many Gillingham fans and lots have voiced their opinions that the club is going backwards under their former manager.

Chairman Paul Scally is under fire himself for failing to appoint a successor for Evans and many Gillingham fans have started to vote with their feet.

Saturday’s game could again see a sparse crowd at Priestfield and the future currently looks bleak.