Alan Julian will be forced out of the Gillingham line-up at Morecambe after scans on Wednesday revealed the keeper has a fractured hand.

The 27-year-old played against Lincoln at the weekend with the injury, after initial scans showed no fracture, but he must now sit on the sidelines to allow for it to recover after a slight break was discovered following further examination.

That means former Ebbsfleet keeper Lance Cronin will come in to make his first competitive outing for the Gills.

Cronin was signed in the summer, following four years at Ebbsfleet. He has only tasted league football once in his career, when he played for Wycombe against Bristol Rovers in May 2005.

Julian must now rest and allow the fracture to recover but he is still expected to make the bench for Gillingham’s trip to Morecambe.

Julian's blow comes as manager Andy Hessenthaler has seen some good news on the injury front with a number of players expected to come back for the Morecambe game.

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