GILLINGHAM face meeting Division 1 leaders Portsmouth at home on Saturday with just one forward, after being hit by a couple more injuries this week.

The Gills, already without Mamady Sidibe and Rod Wallace with knee and groin injuries respectively, could now be missing Guy Ipoua and Tommy Johnson, leaving Paul Shaw as the only first-choice striker available.

Ipoua is rated 50-50 for the Pompey clash after picking up an ankle knock in the 2-0 defeat at Leicester, while Johnson, who played his first 90 minutes for the club last weekend, has a similar problem and is a slight doubt.

If the pair fail to pass fitness test later this week, Gills boss Andy Hessenthaler could be forced to change the team's formation.

The Priestfield manager told the club's official web-site: "If everything goes against us, we may have to rely on Shawie to do a lone job up front with a five-man midfield."

In addition to the injuries to the Gillingham strikers, Hessenthaler also has doubts concerning the fitness of full-back Nyron Nosworthy and central defender Barry Ashby. Nosworthy appears to have aggravated a groin injury that has been troubling him in recent weeks, while Ashby has a broken nose and an ankle problem.

Hessenthaler said: "It's not looking great for us, but we've got a few days yet and we'll keep our fingers crossed that things improve.

"Maybe one or two will recover in time, but at the moment it doesn't look good. But I know that whoever plays will come in and do a good job for us."

The injury set-backs come just one day after Gills centre-back Chris Hope expressed fears about the size of the Priestfield squad with a tough season ahead.

Hope said: "I don't think we can afford to lose any more players, be that through injury or leaving the club because the size of the squad isn't the biggest."