Mark Stimson will bring his Gillingham squad in for Christmas Day training following last year’s Boxing Day slump at Dagenham.

The Gills boss, pictured, was disappointed with his team's 2-0 defeat in Essex after he gave the players Christmas Day off and is getting tough this year to avoid any more embarrassments.

Stimson said: "A lot of people will be packing up at work but we’ve got a game on Saturday so we’ll be working as normal and training Thursday and Friday.

"The players didn’t perform against Dagenham. Whether it made a difference training on Christmas Day or not, I don’t know.

"This year they will be in because last year’s Boxing Day performance was nowhere near what it should have been. If that means coming in and keeping them on the button we will.

"I’m a manager who likes to trust players and treat them as adults but this Christmas Day we will be in. Last year made my mind up that wherever I was next Christmas Day, we would train because I couldn’t have that again."

Stimson has rated winger Andy Barcham as 50-50 to make the Brentford game while youngster Tom Wynter will be vying for a centre-back position with Matt Fry suspended. Defender Josh Gowling returns from a two-game ban.