GILLINGHAM'S new signing Tommy Johnson and the rest of the Gillingham players are pre-season training in La Baule, southern Brittany where they will remain until Friday.

The venue is the same used by England during the 1998 World Cup. An absentee is defender Barry Ashby who stayed behind because of a back problem.

Player-manager Andy Hessenthaler has put the emphasis on relaxation with light ball work and golf.

Former Gillingham midfielder Neil Smith and ex-Luton striker Stuart Douglas, who are having trials with the club, have travelled with the squad.

Out of contract midfielder Mark Saunders has also travelled though nothing has been finalised over a new deal. Marcus Browning’s agent has told Hessenthaler that the midfielder is speaking to other clubs.