ANDY HESSENTHALER confessed for the first time that he would be hard pressed to win back his place in the Gillingham team. The club's player-manager, who earlier in the season hinted he might hang up his boots in May, dismissed speculation that he had already played his last senior game for the club.

Hessenthaler has not started a match since November 3 when Gillingham lost 4-1 at Manchester City. He said: "I can only see me getting back in the side when we have a slump because the way the team's going at the moment I'm enjoying watching them.

"I'm training every day and playing in the reserves so I believe that sometime this season I'll go out there and do a job. I'm still looking forward to playing."

The Gills boss, delighted that his former vice-captain Guy Butters has now signed a two-year extension to his contract, stressed the importance of the squad sticking together.

"We can't go out and spend loads of money so we need to keep the squad together as much as we can. The players out of the side are going to get frustrated but we've got to stick together because football today is all about squads."

The Gills boss confirmed that midfielder Marcus Browning is still talking with his agent over the club's offer of a new contract.