RONNIE JEPSON said the loss of Gillingham first-team coach Bobby Paterson should not directly affect his players.

As revealed in the , Paterson resigned citing his workload as a reason.

Jepson said: "Bob was the first-team coach, but he also did a lot of other things, such as organising the scouting and youth development.

"Because of the size of the squad I don’t think it will be a problem for Mick (Docherty) and me to handle.

"We’ve brought in Alan McLeary, hopefully to help us more in the London area where we have been struggling. Alan has got good contacts there, both in the league and non-league."

Jepson added: "Being in football is an extremely tiring job sometimes. Bobby came in and spoke to me about it.

"He’s a good lad. He felt his family life was suffering a bit, and he made his decision based on his wife and little baby. We need to respect that decision."

Meanwhile, Gillingham have extended goalkeeper Scott Flinders' loan deal for another month.

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