Martin Allen must decide on the future of several Gillingham players

by Luke Cawdell

Gillingham manager Martin Allen will meet his squad for a season debrief on Friday.

The Gills returned from an end-of-season trip to Benidorm on Wednesday and those players coming to the end of their contracts will learn their fate.

Andy Frampton and Deon Burton (below) are among the players who will find out whether Allen needs them for the challenge in League 1 next season.

Whatever the outcome of his talks, Allen isn’t expecting any of his champions to be walking away unhappy.

He said: "I don’t send them letters, like some do. I sit down and have a chat and it will be friendly, whatever the outcome.

"Nobody will be leaving here unhappy, that’s for sure."

Allen has already been pursuing new players for League 1 and made up his mind who was leaving before their final game of the season and who would be offered new deals.

But he doesn’t believe the decisions he is making are tough.

"You don’t always get everything you want, that’s life," said the Gills manager, who has assigned each player a 15-minute window to talk.

"That is the deal. It is not tough, though. I learnt that many years ago, when my mum was poorly. We had to go and see a specialist, who specialises in cancer.

"He just sat us down and said this is this and that is that and that’s the way it is. Sometimes that’s what you have to do.

"You have to make decisions, say how it is and get on with it.

"You have to show respect to those people and you can’t make it right for everyone and you have to do it the right way."

Pictures: Barry Goodwin