Gills aim to avoid the type of injury that ruined Barry Fuller's season Pic: Barry Goodwin

by Luke Cawdell

Hitting the gym before training is one way Gillingham boss Martin Allen is hoping his players will overcome injury.

During the last few seasons injuries have hampered Gills’ hopes of success and it’s an area Allen is keen to address.

Allen said: "The players here are now in at 9.45am and they do work in the gym until 10.30am.

"They don’t just sit there with a cup of tea and the newspaper, they go in and work on their injury prevention programmes, which is a lot of yoga, stretching, pilates and core strength.

"People say it’s boring and it is but they have to do it and it builds up their flexibility and hopefully mentally it makes them stronger.

"They will feel better and then hopefully in the long term, when it gets tough, they are better prepared to cope and don’t pick up as many injuries.

"They understand they have to come in early and do the work because if they aren’t in the team, they don’t get their appearance money and won’t get the win bonuses.

"They won’t get contracts and promotion so the players understand. It’s a no-brainer really."