Interim Gillingham manager Steve Lovell admits he is working with chairman Paul Scally to get more players into Priestfield before the transfer window closes.

Striker John Akinde was the first out the door under Lovell, leaving the club by mutual consent before joining Colchester United on a two and half year deal.

With Christian Maghoma seemingly coming back to the club as Eastleigh were set to end his loan spell before sacking manager Ben Strevens, Lovell will have some important decisions to make in the coming days as to who will be in the Gillingham squad for the remainder of the season.

No new manager has been named following Steve Evans’ departure and Lovell looks ever more likely to be in the hotseat for the rest of the season.

Meanwhile, Gillingham go into Saturday’s home game hoping to end the club record run without a win as Oxford United head for Priestfield in the second of three vital home games in eight days.

Three games into his tenure, Steve Lovell has seen seeds of encouragement all over the pitch and is now looking for his side to combine all the elements into one performance, which will hopefully finally come this weekend.

“We’ve taken small steps so far,” Lovell told KSN this week, “It’s been a lot to turn around given the way that the Club was when I took over.”

“It’s something that I had to turn around quickly but at the same time, we know that it is not going to happen that quickly, we were always going to have to work hard on things.”

“We’re making steady progress I think, and it was nice on Tuesday night to have a clean sheet. We didn’t get the win that we all want and are looking forward to when we get it, but a point is something.”

“Add in the clean sheet and having more possession and more attempts on goal than Shrewsbury, we moved off the bottom of the table as well!”

“There were a lot of pluses that came out of the game and there’s still a lot of work to be done – that’s what we’re doing, and we’ve got nineteen games to go, and they really are nineteen Cup Finals.”

“Coming into the dressing room after the game, the boys were disappointed that we didn’t get the three points. Tuesday was probably the most consistent of the three games so far.”

“It was a consistent performance all over the pitch – we looked solid defensively; they never really hurt us, but on the other side of it, in the final third, we didn’t really have that killer instinct or create enough.”

“We got into shape very well and restricted their chances… so in that respect it was good, but we didn’t create enough!”

Top scorer Vadaine Oliver should be involved on Saturday after missing Tuesday’s game to be with his partner as she gave birth – mother and new-born are doing well and Muzzie Carayol trained on Thursday and will back in contention to play. 

“We know it’s going to be another tight game against Oxford. If we can defend the way that did in midweek and create some of the chances that we did against Burton and Wigan, hopefully we’ll get a result out of it.”

“Karl Robinson (Oxford manager) sides are always good, organised teams and we’ll know what to expect. We’ve prepared in our own way, in the way that we’ve done in the first three weeks and hopefully we can put on a performance that will get the crowd going.”

“They were great on Tuesday – behind us throughout the game, and in the second half in particular when Danny Lloyd hit the post, and the point will give us some more confidence to go into Saturday.”

Lovell’s life in the last month has been turned upside down, as he told us, “I’ve gone from doing absolutely nothing to do with football to doing everything twenty-four seven which I have to admit has been great! It’s time consuming and does wrack on your brains.”

“Saturday could be my last game as I still haven’t been told anything about any appointment. All I know is that the Chairman and I are working hard at the moment to get players in before Monday’s deadline.”

“We’ve been working all week and I hope that it could be a positive sign, but we’re “just” working to get a more balanced team out there on a Saturday.”

“So, if we can do that a get a few in before Tuesday then we’ll be in a much better position.”