Work experience is being offered to a number of Gillingham youth players in a bid to toughen them up.

First-team boss Mark Stimson is also hoping that a few will return from unfamiliar surroundings and be hungrier to succeed at Gillingham.

Stimson’s own son Charlie, a second year apprentice, is currently at Redbridge and Folkestone have taken two of Mark Patterson’s under-18 side.

Olly Bartrum and Josh Sargeant will both feature for the Ryman League, Division 1 South table-toppers Folkestone this weekend.

Promising defender Connor Essam is also expected to go out to a local non-league side this week.

Stimson, who will be deciding which players to keep and which to release in the coming months, said: "We had a youth game on Saturday and then have one reserve game on Wednesday before Christmas.

"These boys are fit and they don’t want to be sitting around doing nothing. If they go on work experience they can sit on the bench somewhere or get some minutes in and see what senior football is like.

"In some cases they’ll be looking around and realise that it isn’t as good as where they are. They’ll be thinking I want to go back to Gillingham.

"Some players don’t realise the difference until they are released and in some players it can liven them up when they come back."