Conor Masterson’s return to fitness has given manager Mark Bonner some added options in defence as they go to Bradford with renewed vigour.
Bonner was upset at his team’s defending last weekend, labelling the second they conceded in a 2-1 home loss against Accrington as a disgrace, but is looking ahead to the next challenge.
Bradford City away is a huge one for a team hunting for points off the back of three straight defeats but Masterson’s return is a big boost. Bonner might be tempted to put him straight in to start.
Bonner said: “That will give us another option as and when he’s ready to go, so that’s good because the more of them we get the better.
“Obviously, Oli Hawkins has played there sparingly, but not from the start, so really Shad (Ogie) and Max (Ehmer) have I think started pretty much every game there.”
Bonner’s worked with Masterson before at Cambridge United and picked him to start the first league game of the season at Gillingham, in a 4-1 win over Carlisle United.
An Achilles injury has kept the defender out ever since.
Bonner said: “What I like about him is that he’s obviously aggressive in both boxes, which is a real good trait for a centre-half of this league. He’ll win aerial contacts and he’s got a winning mentality, which I quite like.
“You’ll always hear him when he’s about, when he’s training and when he’s playing, you can hear his voice so that’s good. They’re qualities I think that will serve him well.
“Hopefully, as he gets fitter he’ll have an opportunity at some point to play and then when he does he’ll have to be good to keep it, that’s the challenge but he’s certainly got some real good qualities to be a good centre-half at this level as everyone has seen.”
Bonner didn’t hide his frustration last weekend after losing the game late on, conceding a goal in the 94th minute after the Gills failed to deal initially with a punt upfield from visiting goalkeeper Billy Crellin.
After that game, Bonner said: “(Our) centre-half didn’t head the ball. It’s the most basic thing in the world.
“If you drop off too far or you don’t go in aggressively, it happens too often to us. It happens all the time. They’re either going to do it or they’re going to come out of the team. It’s really simple.
“It’s a centre-half’s ball. Head a goal kick. Get a free-kick. That’s your job.”
It was Ogie who had gone for the header and fellow defender Max Ehmer was the player who spoke to the press afterwards, painting a gloomy picture of the dressing room.
Bonner was full of enthusiasm and positivity on Thursday in the pre-match interview but admitted it had been a tough few days after that Accrington game.
He said: “I didn’t come in on Monday with a big smile on my face. It was a rotten weekend and nobody really enjoyed themselves but who lifts them up? I don’t really care.
“If you haven’t got it in you to get yourself back up by Monday morning, to go and win again, you’re not going to last very long in this game, so lift yourself up really, don’t wait for anybody else to do it. Then, hopefully if you get energy in the building as the week goes on, you can sort that out yourselves.
“You should be really down and frustrated on Saturday. If it ruins your weekend, good. If by the following Thursday you’re still miserable then sort your life out because we’ve got a game coming and that’s closer than the one that’s gone, so just get on with it.”
The Gills boss dismissed the idea of Sunday training as some kind of punishment for a bad weekend loss, saying: “There’s absolutely nothing to gain from doing that. I’ve never done it and I never will.”
