By Luke Cawdell

Gillingham could pay a high price for last week's fiasco at Leyton Orient after it was revealed Febian Brandy tore a thigh muscle in the game.

The on-loan Manchester United striker, pictured, arrived later than most for the match after battling the East London gridlock and manager Mark Stimson believes the lack of proper preparation was directly responsible for the injury.

Brandy missed Saturday’s game against Carlisle and there are fears he may not feature for Gills again as his deal runs out after the trip to Swindon on January 16.

Stimson said: "He didn’t have enough time to warm up correctly. It may have been safe for the supporters to get in but it wasn’t safe for my players to prepare.

"Unfortunately Febian Brandy paid the price of that and he will be sidelined for a couple of weeks. The health and safety of the supporters is taken into consideration but he (the referee) should take into account the players as well.

"If you don’t warm up properly there is always the possibility of getting an injury. A thigh strain can be anything between two to four weeks. We hope because he is young it heals quicker."

Referee Andy D’Urso refused to change the kick-off time on Tuesday, despite half of Stimson’s squad being stuck in traffic.