Glenn Morris says everything is in place to ensure all members of the squad are 100% ready for the start of the new league season.
Goalkeeper Glenn Morris is confident that Gillingham are putting in solid groundwork for the 2023/24 Sky Bet League Two season and he is sure the players will be ‘fully-firing’ on 5th August at 3pm when the campaign kicks off away at Stockport.
Morris, who picked up last year’s player-of-the-season award, admits there is still hard work to be done after their 3-1 home defeat to Charlton but he has every confidence that the team will hit the ground running when that first whistle of the season is blown.
“That Stockport game will be a real test and one that we are looking forward to,” said Morris. “It will be a tough league, but it’s always tough. There will be a lot of ups and downs so we need to dig in and get results.
“Pre-season is about getting through it and getting ready for the first game. But you have to do the work and make sure you are right and ready every time that you play. We need to be ready for that Stockport game.
“There are loads of positives from today and from our pre-season. It was a great exercise doing the Como trip and we got some good work in there. We have played Millwall, who are a Championship team, and now a very good team in Charlton, so we have to be really pleased with that. We need to make sure that we are firing for the first game of the season."
There were plenty of plus points against League One side Charlton with Gills putting in a strong performance in the opening period before the Addicks’ class showed. Morris enjoyed the biggest cheer of the night when he dived low to keep out Alfie May’s penalty, the goalies last contribution of the night before making way for Jake Turner in the 66th minute.
May had his chance to net his second goal in two games for the Addicks. Morris, however, made a smart stop, much to the delight of the Rainham End.
“I like to use a bit of instinct and get a read of them," said Glenn. "I felt it was one of his first games and he might go a little bit safe. It’s a big moment for a goalie, there is an element of luck in it but also a bit of skill and reading. You definitely enjoy it, especially when it matters a bit more.
“It was nice to save the penalty. It was a manic second-half so it felt like I didn’t get a chance with the goals but I had a chance with the penalty save. I was happy with the penalty save but there are some things that we can work on as a team.
“Maybe there are a few things we need to work on but that is what pre-season is about. We have another game on Saturday, we need to keep ticking them off and get ready for the main event.”