Gillingham look set to name a young side to face Ebbsfleet United in the Kent Senior Cup.
The Gills head to the Kuflink Stadium tonight (Tuesday) for the second-round tie of the county competition.
With Gillingham spending the week managing several injury and fitness issues in their first-team squad, manager Mark Bonner will look towards his young players to take part in the cup game.
Defender Alex Giles and young goalkeeper Taite Holtam are expected to play while Harry Webster, Harry Waldock and Stanley Skipper could also feature against the National League side.
Bonner said: “The more (senior) players that get involved in that the less that are involved in training and that massively influences our week going into Accrington (on Saturday).
“We’ve been looking forward to having the blank week going into Accrington and a blank week going into Bradford (the following Saturday) to prepare for those games, because in the past couple of weeks it hasn’t really allowed us much training time.
“When you need to be improving and getting better you need blank weeks.
“There will be a couple of the younger ones definitely that play and I look forward to seeing that but there won’t be many of the first-team lads playing.”
Gillingham lost to Tonbridge Angels in the second round last season on penalties after the match at the Longmead Stadium finished 1-1.
Both Gillingham and Ebbsfleet received a bye from round one.
The Gills haven’t won the Kent Senior Cup since Archie Clark’s side beat Gravesend & Northfleet 1-0 on Easter Monday, 1948, courtesy of a goal from Wally Akers, who was hobbling around on a badly injured foot. It was Gillingham’s third game in four days and last of the season for the injured match-winner.
DFDS Kent Senior Cup Second round draw: Tonbridge Angels v Beckenham Town, Herne Bay v Margate, Cray Wanderers v Phoenix Sports, Dover Athletic v Hythe Town, Welling United v Maidstone United, Ebbsfleet United v Gillingham, Bromley v Dartford.
