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GUY BUTTERS will find out whether he made the right move when Gillingham visit his new stamping ground at Brighton & Hove Albion today.
By a strange twist of fate, it will be Butters’ home League debut yet, despite a poor start to his Seagulls career – giving away a penalty in his first game and being at fault for a goal in his second – he is looking forward to the challenge.
He said: “I will get my head down and would love to score a hat-trick against them, but I will be thankful to just get a result.
“I've got a lot of good friends there, players and fans so I want us both to stay in the division this year, although with us a bit above them.”
He initially rejected a move to Brighton in the summer, but had a change of heart when he found himself on the bench as soon as the season started.
Butters added: “I had an idea in the back of my head that I wasn’t going to be in favour as we had a few injuries pre-season and I played a couple of games, did well, but was replaced by someone who had been out for a couple of weeks.
“The team got off to a flyer, won the first three games of the league season and I found myself on the bench. Still I wanted to stay there and battle for my place as a matter of pride.
“Unfortunately we didn't have many reserve team games, so my fitness dropped. I talked to Martin Hinshelwood again and he said about coming down to Brighton and doing a job for them.”
Gills will again be missing Tommy Johnson (hamstring), Roland Edge (knee), Nyron Nosworthy (groin), Mama Sidibe (knee), Rod Wallace (groin), Simon Osborn (Achilles) and Ty Gooden (groin).
Buoyed by the midweek win against Torquay in the Worthington Cup, Kevin James will again partner Guy Ipoua up front, while Jason Brown keeps hold of the goalkeeper’s jersey.