Gillingham captain Barry Fuller remained in hospital over the weekend as doctors continue to assess his illness.

Fuller was admitted to hospital early last week and only recently has he been able to breath unaided.

Gills manager Mark Stimson spoke with Fuller before Saturday’s game against Morecambe but any thoughts of a quick recovery look doubtful.

“He’s gradually getting better and the antibiotics have kicked in,” said Stimson.

“He could hold a conversation with me for about a minute on Saturday whereas before it was about three or four words and he was totally exhausted.

“We all wish him a speedy recovery because he’s not just missed on the pitch but off it as well with his banter.

“We’re still waiting on doctors’ reports and they’re still diagnosing what it is. We initially thought it was pneumonia but it might be something else now and we’re just waiting on that.

“Hopefully it isn’t too serious because we will need someone like Barry to come in and push other people and keep them on their toes.”