Interim manager Keith Millen admits he needs to get the players focused ahead of their weekend game with MK Dons.

Neil Harris’ sacking came as a shock to the players, many of whom chose to sign for the Gills only recently because of the man in charge. They were told of Harris’ dismissal on Thursday morning before training.

Players like Scott Malone, Conor Mahoney and captain Shaun Williams have a long association with Harris, while defender Conor Masterson has spoken previously about how having Harris at the club was key to him joining. Malone said the same only last week.

Millen took training on Thursday but admitted the session was only light, sending the players home to clear their heads ahead of what he hopes will be a more focused session today (Friday).

He said: “I spoke to the players and, like always, the first day when this happens there is shock, and disappointment and it doesn’t matter what I say to the players.

“We didn’t train much (on Thursday) it was more about getting the lads into the fresh air and sending them home to clear their heads and then hopefully when they come in on Friday trying to focus on an important game on Saturday.

“I think you have to give them a 24-hour grieving window, they might not all be grieving, but you have to let them have that period and after that, they are professional footballers contracted to Gillingham Football Club.

“I said to them, ‘What was your goal at the start of the season?’ They said promotion and I asked ‘Has that changed? No. That is the mindset for Friday.

“My job is not a physical thing, it will be a mental thing to try and get them into a positive mindset to perform well to try and win the game.

“I have had situations before where there has been that shock response, managers will lose jobs whether top or bottom of the league, the club have gone in the direction they have said, the timing was a shock, but I have seen it all before, it will happen again.

“It is a case of me picking up the pieces and normally when this happens you will have some in the dressing room secretly quite happy, they might play, and others will be disappointed because they have played regularly, you always get that mixture.

“As a manager, you build relationships with players. There will be disappointment, quite naturally, Neil is not only a good manager but a top bloke. I have been here seven months and I have been in and around the first team and got to know him well and that is the sad part of it.”

Weekend visitors MK Dons have lost form of late, without a win in six. It wasn’t long ago that they were leading the division with the Gills in second place.

Millen knows MK well, he used to be a manager there, taking over from Dan Micciche when he left before being replaced by Paul Tisdale in the summer of 2018.

He said: “I worked for them a few years ago, (they have) a reputation of playing good football and producing good young players.

“They will be competitive and I imagine their expectations would be to get promoted.

“With the team and the names they have got, they are probably under-achieving at the moment for whatever reason. Hopefully, their lack of form continues on Saturday and we will get a result.”