Gillingham boss Steve Lovell has been reflecting over a busy end to the Transfer Window this week as his side prepare for the visit of second placed Barnsley to Priestfield on Saturday.

Lovell admitted this week, “Some of the new boys haven’t really played a lot recently and so it’s a question of getting their fitness up and getting them ready for the remainder of the season which might take a week or two. But they’re good lads and technically and tactically very aware of what’s required and so now it’s just a question of getting them all to the fitness levels that we want…”

“We get these players in to change things should we need to change them and that’s what happened at Coventry last weekend – we got our penalty out of it – but that’s something we’ve got to do and that’s how to get the best out of some of these players to play into our system with the players that we’ve got available.”

“It’s a massive thing for us having people with the mentality of wanting to push themselves forward and get into the team and that’s what we’ve got to have and it’s no point getting players in who are technically very, very good if they haven’t got the right attitude.”

“These boys have and that’s something that we were keen to get into the football club and to go with the rest of the group and that’s what we have done – they’ve been here less than a week. It’ll take a little bit of time, but I think people will see in the remainder of the season that they will be good players and that they’ll work for us.”

Lovell then revealed his relief now that the January Transfer Window has closed. He said, “It’s nice that the speculation surrounding the Transfer Window is over now.  It’s not a worry, but it;s been a bit up and down where you just get a good group of players that you’re happy to work with and know that’s that what you’ve got.”

“Yes there were ins and outs last week, but that’s out of the way now and we can all now concentrate on the training ground and focus on the rest of the season and getting the results that we need.”

The departure that had surprised many of the Gills fans was the move of Josh Parker to Charlton on Deadline Day. Lovell was forthright in his explanation; “He hasn’t played well for us this year for one reason or another and we gave Josh opportunities, but I didn’t think he was playing like Josh Parker did for us last year for one reason or another.”

“So, I thought it was best to move him on for his career and for the sake of our football club.  I didn’t think that he perhaps fitted into what I wanted to see between now and the end of the season.”

“I’ve wished him all the best, there’s nothing wrong with him, I’ve got nothing against him – it was purely and simply a football matter which sometimes must be made.  He’s then gone to Charlton and I wish him all the best.”

“I got the best out of him, but I also got the worst out of him and that’s not down to me, that’s down to him.  It showed that when Josh Parker plays well, he’s a good player but when he doesn’t, he was no good to us in the team and I felt to be honest that in the latter part of his time here, he wasn’t playing perhaps in the way that Josh Parker can play.”

“So, it was best for everyone for him to move on to further his career, and I hope that he does well.”

Turning his attention back to Saturday’s home game with Barnsley, the Gills boss had that all important squad news.

“Dean Parrett is back to full fitness and is playing well in training,” Lovell revealed, and went on, “Alex Lacey is still two or three weeks away whilst Billy Bingham is back in training and should be available for the Shrewsbury game next Saturday.”

“Apart from them, everyone else is fit touch wood, and we’ve got a good fit squad to choose from and as I said last week there were three or four boys who had played regular games in the team who didn’t even make the squad.”

“It’s a good squad and people need to push and keep pushing if they’re going to get into our squad on a Saturday!”

Lovell finished by looking at Saturday’s visitors. He said, “They are a very good in form side who are second in the League and at Oakwell, I thought that they played pretty well against us and I said that we gave them too much respect and sat off of them.”

“We’ve learned from that and second half we went and had a go at them!  This week we’re at home and we can have a go!  There’s no point sitting back and hoping they don’t score – that’s not the way that we play – so we’ll have a go and take the game to them and we’re good enough to get a result against them.”

“It all will depend how we start as in the games that we’ve started well we’ve got things out of and let’s hope that we can be on it right from the start and if we can be, we can undoubtedly get something out of the game.”