The Gills manager reflects on Tuesday's game
Gillingham manager Justin Edinburgh spoke to the press following Tuesday's 2-1 victory over Concord Rangers in Canvey Island.
Goals from Luke Norris and a last-minute Billy Knott penalty gave the Gills the victory, and here's what the manager had to say about the game.
JE on...the game's significance: “First, it's still a fitness exercise, we wanted to go through the gears. The players are getting 45 or 60 minutes at the moment, [it's a good test of] fitness, attitude, playing in a different environment versus a team who were always going to be hard to break down.
“I felt we moved the ball well on a dry pitch, sometimes the final cross or pass maybe wasn't there, but I'm delighted with the application and effort.”
>> Click here for our official match gallery
JE on...injuries to first-team players: “They're unfortunate injuries. Aaron [Morris] we'll assess, Brad [Garmston] willl be out for six weeks with a dislocated knee cap - we're waiting on the specialist's opinion on whether or not he needs an operation. And Deji [Oshilaja] has a little strain on the back of his knee.
“These are big blows as they are all defensive players. We hope that Deji is back next week, we'll assess our situation from there.
"As staff working alongside our medical and sports science team, we do everything we can to ensure that we don't get soft tissue injuries. Impact injuries like these three we can't affect, they're part and parcel of the sport."
JE on...trialists and potential new signings: “We're still looking to get more bodies in for the season, and some [of the trialists] have been recommended in certain areas. We'll keep looking at them [during Wednesday's friendly against Billericay Town].
"We knew we needed another CB, cover at RB and LB [before the injuries]. We're moving along on this."
JE on...young players being involved: "I think Mitch Dickenson and Darren Oldaker both showed tonight they're comfortable in this environment. I've told them they're here for a reason, because they should be pushing [for the first-team]. I felt Mitchell did well for long periods of time, he was strong and composed, and I thought Darren looked sublime when he came on. He looked class. We don't want to start putting too much pressure on him, but everybody saw tonight what he's about."
Related stories