Chancellor George Osborne will learn about some of the challenges facing the Gills on a visit to the club this afternoon.

He will be talking to chairman Paul Scally, who has seen his dream of the club's promotion - and a more secure future - slip further away at the weekend.

Mr Osborne's visit to the chairman's office at the Priestfield stadium is officially "private".

He will be touring the stadium and seeing players practice during his 45-minute visit before he is expected to field questions.

Last month, the Gills announced a loss of close to half-a-million pounds in their latest set of financial accounts.

Mr Scally was unavailable for comment this morning.