GILLS boss Andy Hessenthaler has warned his players to be on their guard when they travel to Torquay United for their Worthington Cup first round clash tonight.

With a number of players missing through injury, including all three summer signings Rod Wallace, Tommy Johnson and Mamady Sidibe, Gillingham will need to be careful of a shock defeat against their Division 3 opponents.

Hessenthaler said: “Torquay will fancy themselves now having seen our results over the last couple of games. They know we have got injuries, and I am sure they were at Priestfield on Saturday watching us so they will be quite positive about getting a result against us.

“We need to get a win under our belts because it breeds confidence. It’s a potential banana skin with us being the Division 1 side and them being in Division 3. They are at home and haven’t lost there this season.

“They'll be going into the game with a lot of confidence. But we have got to go there and show the character needed to get a result.”

Gillingham, who suffered their fourth loss in the last five league games with a 3-1 home defeat against Portsmouth on Saturday, will be desperate to avoid a surprise result. However, defender Chris Hope maintains the players are fully aware of the task they face.

He said: “We have to be very professional about it. We can’t take them lightly. We have to go and put on a performance and not get turned over.”

The former Scunthorpe United man realises the opposition players will view this game as their chance to impress any potential scouts.

But the 29-year-old says he’s got a good record at Plainmoor and believes the Gills will progress. He said: “It's going to be a tough game because I’ve been in the position, as a member of a Division 3 team, when you like to prove yourselves against a Division 1 side.

“I've played there a number of times while at Scunthorpe. It’s actually a happy hunting ground for myself because I seemed to have a good record there, although I know Gills lost the last time we went there.”