Gillingham team news ahead of match with Mansfield Town at Priestfield | Manager Neil Harris with updates of George Lapslie, Tim Dieng, Oli Hawkins, Dom Jefferies and Lewis Walker
Gillingham must weigh up the “risk and reward” of playing George Lapslie against his former team this Saturday.
Attacking-midfielder Lapslie missed last weekend’s game at Doncaster with a hamstring injury and is a doubt for the visit of Mansfield, a club he played over 100 games for before moving to the Gills.
Lapslie lasted just 25 minutes against Morecambe the previous week, scoring the first and having a hand in the second goal, before going off injured. An early withdrawal ensured no long-term damage but now the club must decide if he’s fit enough to be risked against Mansfield.
Manager Neil Harris said: “He is desperate to play, but with a hamstring you have to make sure you get the risk and reward right, it is a real tough one, the same with Dom (Jefferies).
“As much as they are really important players we can’t afford to take risks and lose them for months, that would be a real shame.
“We have to make sensible decisions and that is not just down to me, that’s the medical staff and support staff and players as well, we will have to see what the next 48 hours hold.”
Jefferies could be a step closer to a return as he got 45 minutes in a midweek friendly with Dartford but is another who is recovering from time out with a hamstring strain. He’s missed the last five league games.
Harris said: “He trained Monday to be able to play some minutes on Tuesday night and he is a lot healthier, he is further down the line (to recovery).
“Dom is an athlete, a sprinter, it’s a hamstring injury so we do have to be really mindful of that, as the medical people keep reminding me.
“We have missed Dom Jefferies in the group, either from the start or off the bench, the impact that he gives us is vital.
“There might be an element of gambling somewhere in the group but we’re nine games in and in a very healthy position. I played a shape last weekend that suited the personnel we had available, hampered by some players in the same position not available.”
Tim Dieng remains out with a knee injury and he’s expected to miss the month of October as he recovers from a tackle at Grimsby.
It was a tackle that Harris felt warranted more than a yellow.
He’s heard back from the Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) – the body that represents refereeing in England – about the incident, having queried why Ethan Coleman got a red card for a foul against Colchester and Grimsby’s Danny Amos got away with a yellow after putting his player out of action for what could be two months.
Harris said: “I wrote asking about the challenge (at Grimsby) and how it compared to Ethan’s. I didn’t get a response on how it compared, but said that on review of the incident that they didn’t feel it was reckless, didn’t feel it was high, didn’t feel it was endangering the opponent and on that moment I have stopped writing my referee’s reports because it is absolutely rubbish.”
On a lighter note, Harris spoke of how Oli Hawkins – another former Mansfield player – has continued to keep spirits high, despite his own injury problems. The striker is sidelined with a complex heel problem that’s kept him out since pre-season.
Harris said: “Plantar fasciitis (the heel condition) is still the bugbear of his life at the moment but he is in every day with the lads, joining in the banter and he has a ridiculous tash at the moment on the go, which is a great source of entertainment for everyone but that is important sometimes.
“People like Hawks can Timmy are really good characters around the place and important for us. To have those players back fit will be important because they were such a key part of our success in the second half of last season.
“We want them back fit but there is no quick fix with either of them.”
Striker Lewis Walker, meanwhile, got another run-out in the week as he recovers from a pre-season knee injury.
Harris said: “He’s been training for two and a half weeks, he played 30 minutes against Millwall (in a B team game) and 60 against Dartford and so we now feel he is in a position where he is a lot closer to the first team fold or will go out on loan for a period of time to get up to speed.”
Walker’s likely to be loaned out to a National League side to gain much-needed competitive minutes.
Leave a Reply