Ahead of their first SkyBET League One home game of 2019, Gillingham boss Steve Lovell has called for his players to continue with their recent performances as Walsall head for the Medway Priestfield Stadium.

Lovell told KSN this week, “We’ve made a decent start to 2019 losing just the one game at Southend, with the League game at Burton following on from the Cardiff game here, it’s been a good start that we need to keep going and keep performing and if we keep performing, I think that we’ll pick up the points that we need!”

“The Cup game at Swansea won’t come into things this weekend as it’s the three League points that are important and up for grabs with Walsall – as we’ve said many, many times this year, everyone can beat everyone else and is doing so.”

“We’ll have to be on our game to get a result against another very good football side, they always have been, who are not in the best of form at the moment, but remember we weren’t doing so well when we went down to Portsmouth and won there.”

“Anything can happen in this League and we’ve got to make sure that we prepare properly and turn in a good performance.”

Up against Lovell and the Gills this weekend and playing at Priestfield for the first time he left for Wolves in 2007 is Matt Jarvis.

After making 110 appearances for the Gills, he was undoubtedly a fans’ favourite before leaving for Molyneux and after spells at West Ham United and Norwich City, the 31-year-old returns to face a Gillingham side for the very first time – indeed it’ll be the first time that Jarvis had lined up against any of his former clubs.

Lovell recalled the first time he actually signed a young Jarvis from Millwall – “I remember the first game that he played for us at the Garrison and I remember Darren (Hare) and I both shaking our heads as to why Millwall have let him go!”

“He was exceptional and we were lucky to get him. He was a tremendous professional who has been unlucky with injuries and I’m sure he’d have played a lot more games otherwise.  He will still cause us problems and we’ve got to make sure that he doesn’t, and I hope he gets a good reception from the crowd.”

Two weeks left in the transfer window and Lovell was then asked if he had any targets before month end; he said, “I’m hopeful to get a couple in and we have got targets, but for one reason or another it takes a little bit of time and that’s the nature of it in the windows – it’s important we get the right personnel in for what we need so hopefully we’ll get one or two in during January.”

“Within the next couple of weeks we’ll have a full squad back and that’s why sometimes you’ve got to go game by game and touch wood and everything will be fine.”

“But things change so quickly, and we have to have that in mind in case anything happens – we get a player suspended or injured and we’ll have to get a player quickly. Overall the squad is about right, but I do think that a couple of acquisitions will certainly benefit the group.”

“Conor Wilkinson has left us for Dagenham and Redbridge permanently.  He went there on loan and has had a good spell. They’ve decided to take up his contract, we’ve said that rather than stand in his way, it will be better for his career that he goes on and plays regularly.”

“We wish him well – it didn’t work out for him here and that’s sometimes how it works out in football. You don’t want to stand in anyone’s way to further their career this way if they want to.”

Looking to Saturday, and the team news from the manager was encouraging that both Connor Ogilvie and Gabby Zakuani were forced off at the Pirelli and that top scorer Tom Eaves missed out too through injury.

Lovell reported, “Both Connor and Gabby should both be OK after getting injured last weekend; I hope that Tom will be back too along with Barry Fuller; Dean Parrett should be back next week, and I hope that Billy (Bingham) will be back the week after that.”

“We’ve got a good number to select from for a while and it’s nice to know that the players on the bench will add something if necessary!”