A bigger investment in the club’s management is paying off when it comes to sourcing new players, according to Gillingham chairman Paul Scally.

Mr Scally (pictured) is currently working on deals to bring new players to Priestfield when the transfer window opens in January, but he is keen to make sure they are right, as players and people.

He said: "We are constantly looking to improve the squad, to freshen it up and to make changes which are appropriate.

"It’s an ongoing process and when we do decide what changes we want to make and what players we are looking to bring in there is plenty of management there that can give me lots of input and the reasons why.

"We are looking closely at the kind of players we are bringing in now and checking them out thoroughly. It is something we haven’t necessarily always done with different managers over the past five or 10 years.

"We need to make sure they are the right players, the right characters and what exactly they will do for us. I can spend more time looking at players and hoping we spend our money wisely."

This season Gillingham have the added luxury of an assistant manager (John Schofield), a goalkeeping coach (Carl Muggleton) and – in former boss Andy Hessenthaler – a director of football. All three add vast knowledge to the table and Mr Scally has been working on deals since Boxing Day.

They have been linked with moves for Crystal Palace’s David Wright and MK Dons defender Tom Flanagan – players who have already spent time on loan at Priestfield earlier this season.