ANDY HESSENTHALER will put the tiger back in Gillingham’s tank tonight when he returns from a two-match suspension to face Wimbledon at Priestfield.

The club’s player-manager, who is being constantly urged by many within the game to carry on playing beyond his 38th birthday in June, will galvanise a midfield that sorely missed his aggression against Nottingham Forest last week.

To accommodate his return, Nicky Southall switches to right-back to compensate for the absence of Nyron Nosworthy who misses tonight’s match through a one-match suspension. Centre-back Barry Ashby will undergo a fitness test on the hamstring strain sustained against Forest.

While Dons manager Stuart Murdoch has predicted that his side must win all 12 of their remaining games to stand a chance of qualifying for the promotion play-offs, Hessenthaler remains upbeat about Gillingham’s prospects.

He said: “Tonight's match is a must-win game for us. The gap between us and Wolves is eight points. But if Wolves pick up points and we slip up, then obviously the gap will get bigger.

"But if we can beat Wimbledon tonight and Rotherham at home on Saturday, then we’ll be right back in it.”