GILLINGHAM today turned to young Aston Villa defender J-Lloyd Samuel in the hope of easing their centre-back crisis before Saturday's critical home game against Walsall. Midlands sources confirmed that assistant manager Richard Hill, who worked as No 2 to Villa boss John Gregory while at Wycombe, was trying to persuade him to release the 20-year-old on loan in time for the match.

With Barry Ashby suspended and the club facing the possible long-term loss of Adrian Pennock, Gillingham are desperate to recruit Samuel who was among the substitutes for the recent Premiership game against Everton. Formerly with Charlton, Trinidad-born Samuel has made 10 first team starts for Villa plus 23 as substitute. He has yet to start a match this season.

Should Gillingham fail to sign him, player-manager Andy Hessenthaler could revert to a flat back four against the Saddlers with Mark Patterson and David Perpetuini forming the full-back partnership alongside centre-backs Chris Hope and Guy Butters. Alternatively, midfielder Mark Saunders, no stranger to the centre-back role, could play alongside Hope and Butters in the preferred 3-5-2 formation.

Gillingham dropped a place to 21st last night following Sheffield Wednesday's 3-1defeat of Barnsley. Today they were boosted by the news that Iffy Onuora may return to the squad. The striker, who has not played since sustaining a badly cut knee in the Worthington Cup tie against Southampton, trained this week and could be in Saturday's squad.

Meanwhile, it emerged today that Pennock was in such pain following injury at Birmingham on Tuesday that medics took the unusual decision of giving him a morphine injection on the pitch. The 30-year-old centre-back, who is believed to have ruptured cruciate knee ligaments, saw club doctor Paul Staker yesterday but did not undergo an x-ray because of severe swelling on the knee.

The club believe they will only know the full extent of the injury next week when the swelling goes down. Pennock, who remains in pain at his Medway home, expects to see a specialist next week.

Two-goal Birmingham striker Geoff Horsfield, who was closest to Tuesday's incident when Pennock fell awkwardly with Brazilian Marcelo, said: "It was an accident. The Gillingham lad seemed to get his studs caught in the turf. We knew it was serious when he had the injection on the stretcher before they carried him off."