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Gillingham first team coach Nicky Southall writes exclusively for the KM Group

Nicky Southall
Nicky Southall

We aren’t looking at the table just yet and although some are labelling Saturday’s game as a top-of-the-table clash, for us it is just another game.

Teams can still be in false positions at this stage of the season and you need to be looking at the table after 10 or 12 games.

We remember getting a fantastic 1-0 win at Rotherham last season so we know what to expect.

It is an unusual place to go, with the running track around the outside and usually we would be looking to keep the crowd quiet early on – but that shouldn’t be hard as the fans are miles away and we won’t be able to hear them anyway!

A point would not be the worst outcome but we are going only to win and three points would be fantastic. That’s what we are setting up for.

We know all about them and one player who I have kept in touch with since he was on loan at Gillingham is Dale Tonge. He is a nice lad, a good player at right-back and will bomb on. Hopefully, we will do a professional job on him and the Rotherham team.

Last weekend we got a great result against Plymouth and I feel sorry for their players as they haven’t been paid for a number of weeks. It has got to be disheartening for them.

We talked to their manager Peter Reid after the game and he has a thankless task. I have known Peter for a number of years and when I was at Bolton, he was out of work at the time and used to come down to training. He was good friends with Sam Allardyce and he would do a bit of coaching. I got on well with him.

I wish him all the best and hopefully they can get that takeover they need to move on.

Danny Kedwell got his first goals in the win and I said before the game I fancied him scoring his first at the Rainham End and he did. Fair enough it was a penalty but it still needs tucking away.

I used to take the penalties when I was playing and there is a different pressure on it. You have to trust your technique which he did and he has a lot of belief from 12 yards.

He deserves the goals as he has been a fantastic addition to the squad.

He has sat in the Rainham End and watched myself and Hessy when he was a fan and it’s great to see someone with such hunger and desire playing for their hometown club.

Keds has been terrific up top on his own and we’re working hard on finding an extra striker to add to the squad.

We’ve already got Dennis Oli, who has come back meaner, leaner and fitter but he and Danny are a similar type. They are hold-up players and we are not looking at that type of player.

We are looking at more of a fox in the box, who can get onto things.

We are getting names all the time. We’ve had six or seven trialists in during this week and we had a practice game. We are trying and the fans just need to be patient. We know what we want.

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