Gillingham manager Steve Evans is finally seeing the clearing of the club’s treatment room.

The Gills have been without over half of their senior first team players some weeks and Evans has been using first and second year scholars to ensure they have had personnel on the subs’ bench.

Evans is now hoping that crisis is coming to an end.

“For the first time there is light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.

“The boys have had some tough sessions and it tells me they are getting there, Robbie McKenzie, David Tutonda and Ben Reeves [all recently returned from injury] have been bouncing in the building and they are fit.

“The nearer we get to 2022 we suddenly see the likes of Dempsey and Max Ehmer coming back and Vadaine Oliver, they are big players. Players likes David Tutonda and Ben Reeves will be back stronger and fitter rather than getting thrown in at the deep end. We need those players back.”

Dempsey, Oliver and Ehmer are still more likely to be returning the other side of the festive period but their return is getting close.

Captain Dempsey and leading scorer Oliver have both been missing for over a month, their injuries coming in the same game against Sheffield Wednesday.

Evans will now have to wait and see what players return from their Covid infections and when. The club have kept the identity of those involved to themselves but some might not be back until as late as Christmas Day.

On Boxing Day the Gills will welcome an Ipswich Town team buoyed by the appearance of their new manager Kieran McKenna in the dugout for the first time.

“We’ll have to do some extra leg work this week,” said Evans, as his team had the weekend off as a Covid firebreak. “We will have to prepare with who we have got.”