Gillingham boss Steve Evans hopes to have more signings available for their midweek EFL Trophy match.

The Gills get their Trophy campaign under way with a home match against Colchester at Priestfield on Tuesday night.

Evans is chasing more new faces and hopes to get a couple of deals completed before the summer transfer deadline of 5pm on Monday.

“Hopefully we will have one or two new players who will make their debuts,” said the Gills boss, who added Tom O’Connor and Olly Lee to his squad in time to play against Bolton on Saturday.

“We have 18 first-team players and we probably need two or three more.

“The chairman is doing his best and I was with him for dinner on Friday. He said, ‘let’s look at improving if we can’.

“We are trying to make it a top-10 team and we need to find another Tommy and another Olly. We need those type, they can be the difference for us.”

Evans trimmed his squad further at the weekend after allowing Elliott List to join Stevenage for an undisclosed fee.

He’ll be hoping to use some of those funds for new personnel.

“It gives us a bit of a chance to do something,” confirmed Evans.

Bradley Garmston is also still available for transfer. The 25-year-old was involved throughout pre-season but hasn’t played a competitive game under Evans.

The manager said: “All the clubs know he is available.

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“When we first came in we decided he wouldn’t be going forward with us.

“But he asked for an opportunity and with these young kids, you look at their eyes and they are hurting. They want that opportunity, we gave him it.

“He is a good player, but not what we are looking at.”

The Gills won 5-0 against Bolton but Evans will mix it up for their Trophy match, the first of three group games in the opening stage of the competition.

Striker Mikael Mandron will be hoping to make his first start while Mikael Ndjoli, Stuart O’Keefe and Lee Hodson could feature after being unused substitutes at the weekend.

Midfielder Ouss Cisse didn’t make the squad to face Bolton.

“We will make some changes, but it will be a good side,” Evans said.

“Colchester are a decent side. They won away again (at Oldham on Saturday).

“We have to be ready for a long trip to Tranmere on Saturday. Some who play on Tuesday will then face Tranmere because of the sheer size of the squad that we’ve got.”

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