GUY BUTTERS has told his Gillingham team-mates to look no further than Adrian Pennock for the inspiration to bounce back and beat Walsall on Saturday at Priestfield. "Iron" Guy, was visibly upset as his close friend was carried off in agony with suspected ruptured ligaments in his left knee late in Tuesday night's 's 2-1 defeat at Birmingham.

The two are close friends since arriving together at Priestfield in 1996 and along with Barry Ashby, have moulded Gillingham's reputation for defensive resilience.

As the squad prepared for a game critical in the club's attempts to end a sequence of five league and cup defeats, Butters urged his team-mates to beat Walsall for Pennock's sake.

"Let's do it for Adie because a Gillingham win will lift his spirits," he said. "If he had been out there, he would have been battling and scrapping for Gillingham and we would do well to follow his example. He's going to be missed in the dressing room because he's something of a cult figure but he's going to be missed tremendously on the field because he's been in magnificent form this season."

Pennock, still in pain at his Medway home, said: "I've been overwhelmed with the good luck messages I've received from all my team-mates, the club's supporters and one in particular from Carl Asaba. I would like to place on record my thanks to everyone because the messages have lifted my spirits.

"I'm hoping to have an operation at the weekend which would be good news because I need to crack on. I will not be written off and I'm determined to play again."