PLAYER-MANAGER Andy Hessenthaler will not see a penny of the estimated £475,000 earned by Gillingham from Saturday's FA Cup, fifth round, tie against Arsenal at Highbury.

With £350,000 earned from gate receipts plus £125,000 from AXA sponsorship money, Gillingham left Highbury in the money. But any dreams Hessenthaler had of investing the cash in the team, were quickly dashed by chairman Paul Scally.

Mr Scally, who disclosed that the club have a near £5 million debt to service, told the Teamtalk website: "All the money will go to the bank as we have a £5 million debt which we have to repay over the next few years.

"I have always said that things will be tight for two or three years, but once the new facilities at Priestfield start generating the income we believe they will, it will make the repayment of the debt much quicker, and will allow us some money to spend on players."