Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth has been extra focused on his own team ahead of this weekend’s match after a change at the top from the visitors.
Ainsworth admitted a lot of their preparation for Saturday’s match went in the bin, after opponents Barrow sacked head coach Andy Whing, and placed their experienced coach Neil McDonald in charge ahead of this Saturday’s game.
“It changes the picture,” said Ainsworth.
“I am glad they did it on Wednesday and not (Thursday) because it gave us a chance to delete most of the presentation we had put together, saying ‘this is what they’ve been doing and this is how their manager likes to play’.
“It happens, it’s football management, and I wish Whingy all the best on his next venture. Neil McDonald takes over, and he is very experienced.
“We are sort of guessing about what’s coming, but it’s all about us, what we do now, and it’s one of the few games of the season where I won’t be able to analyse too much and won’t be able to see patterns of play. It’s going to be new.”
The Gills are five unbeaten but four of those have been draws and there hasn’t been a league win at Priestfield for Ainsworth’s team since beating Notts County in mid-September.
There have been defeats to Harrogate and Salford and draws with Cheltenham, Crawley and Barnet since then.
Ainsworth knows the importance of taking the game to the visitors who, regardless of who is in charge, have had a poor season so far and head into the weekend 18th in the table.
The Gills boss said: “We want to make sure we impose ourselves, we’re at home, the fans have been super on the road, they have got behind us, but back here I want to win a game.
“I want to start winning the home games and I have asked the boys to put on a performance on Saturday, for the fans and for themselves, and try and get the points.
“It is the game where we will focus on us a bit more than them. I do a percentage of my work on the opposition because i think it’s the right thing to do.
“We still know what their strengths are and we can tell the boys about an individual’s weaknesses but we don’t know the team. Will he change? Will he go the same? it’s very difficult to read.
“It is about what we can do and how we impose ourselves. I have some really good players in this squad and I believe that if they all come together and switch it on at the right time we can beat anyone in this league.
“I am really happy what I have got, but Barrow had some really good results earlier in the season and turned over some big teams, so we have to be very wary of them, but let’s impose ourselves on them and see what we can do, show how far we have come.”
The Gills had up to 10 players out injured last weekend but Ainsworth says a couple are set to return to the fold this Saturday, commenting that Conor Masterson, Euan Williams, Jonny Smith, Josh Andrews and Andy Smith have all been on the training ground this week.
