Defender Lee Brown and new striker Kyle Hudlin will both figure in our final friendly at home to Oxford United tomorrow, a week before the big kick-off in League Two.
“Kyle will definitely be involved,” said Assistant Manager Terry Skiverton. “Browny will be featuring in the game. David Fisher (hamstring) and Aaron Cosgrave (ankle) are both out on the training pitch, but they’re still a little bit away from playing.
“We feel that we’re on track for the Gillingham match. We’ve got a tough game coming up against Oxford, because of the way that they play and how close they went last season. We’re going to use this game as our last dress rehearsal to make sure that we get the result we want in the first game of the season.
“It’ll be close to 90 minutes. Obviously, we’ll be monitoring one or two – players like Browny, who has been missing for a little while due to his back. There will be a few that get minutes, but we’ll be looking to get some real good match preparation going into the first league game.”
It was a busy start to the week for our new management team, with three new signings finally making it in through the door at The Cherry Red Records Stadium. Hudlin’s arrival from Huddersfield, was followed by midfielder Paris Maghoma from Brentford, also on a season-long loan, and the permanent signing of Charlton striker Josh Davison (pictured above).
That took our tally of new additions in this window to five, having already added experienced defenders Alex Pearce and Chris Gunter earlier on. However, Terry says our squad building is far from over yet.
“We’re still looking,” said Terry. “We’re still on the hunt for a few more new faces. It’s an ongoing process, because we want to build for the short-term, but also make sure that we’ve sustained the long-term stability of the football club by bringing in a few younger players as well.
“Jamie Johnson, our new Head of Recruitment, went straight in at the deep end when dealing with the transfer of Josh and with the intricacies of the deal. We’ve had some trialists in as well and he’s got his finger on the pulse – especially having been at Leyton Orient last year. He knows the league and the level.
“I think you can see though by the number of players we have got in, that you’ve got to be mindful of the players you already have in the building. There might not be a lot of experience, but they’ve been out on loan or had little spells with the first team. There’s a few of them that are looking ready.
“That’s a really positive thing for the football club. They’ve been out there and dipped their toe in the water, but now it’s time to put them in front of the fire – so to speak. When we’ve got a packed house, I think a lot of those players will be ready.”
For more insight into how this season’s new-look squad is coming together, listen to the full, in-depth interview with Terry Skiverton below – via the link to our official YouTube channel.
