Adam Birchall could be sidelined until the new year after scans confirmed Gillingham’s worst fears.

Birchall will undergo an operation tomorrow (Tuesday) to correct cruciate ligament damage on his knee following an innocuous injury in the friendly win at Welling last week.

It leaves the Gills light in attack and boss Andy Hessenthaler will explore the possibility of bringing in a player on loan.

Hessenthaler said: "Up-front is a concern because of the injury to Adam but we will have to see what develops in the next few weeks.

"The chairman has pushed us over the limit with the budget to get players in. It’s a shame what has happened to Adam and we certainly have to look at it.

"We have Dennis Oli and young Stefan Payne along with Kedwell, who was fantastic on Saturday. Who knows? We will see how things go in the next couple of weeks and whether we need to bring someone in on loan."

Birchall only signed for the Gills from Dover a fortnight ago but faces a long recovery process.

Hessenthaler said: "It’s not good news and he could well be out (for) six months. It could be longer or it could be less. We’ll see how the operation goes and how quickly he heals."

Birchall faces an eight-week period with a brace on his knee following the operation and only when that is removed can he begin the route back to full fitness.

"He has to stay positive and we will do that as a club to keep him positive," said Hessenthaler. "As you can imagine it’s not easy for him.

"Everybody heals differently. One thing on his side is that he is relatively young and he has never had a major problem with his knee before.

What has saddened Hessenthaler has been some comments posted online.

He said. "People go on forums and make comments about players. A lot of people in Kent will be feeling for him but I know there are some sick people out there as well who may have a smile on their face because he is injured."

Do the Gills need to bring in a loan signing or can they cope with what they've got? Comment below.