Gillingham manager Steve Evans insists he won’t be making any panic buys.

The Gills are light in numbers following the departure of several loan players and that’s left them with few options ahead of tough trips to League 1 surprise package Accrington Stanley on Saturday and leaders Lincoln City in midweek.

Declan Drysdale, Josh Eccles and Scott Robertson have all departed and it’s looking like Arsenal pair Trae Coyle and Zech Medley could also go before the weekend.

Striker Dominic Samuel and young midfielder Henry Woods are both out following operations while midfield pair Stuart O’Keefe and Jacob Mellis are set to travel, after injuries of their own, but only because the squad is so threadbare.

Evans said: “Chances are unless we get a body or two in then we will be light on the bench for Accrington but we have been that way all season.

“If it means I am light for a game or two, so be it. If we can sign some then we will do it but I am too experienced to be going down the road of signing players that don’t help us. We need players to help the group, we have some very good players and they just need some help.

“We cannot allow the fact that we are playing Accrington and Lincoln in the space of four or five days make us go and sign players that won’t help us get points from those games.

“We are working hard on it. Supporters quite rightfully probably think it is a case of phoning up and saying, ‘well that player isn’t playing so we will take him’, but there is a lot more to it.

“We all want to go for the same type of player and you have to be in the pecking order, you have to accept that you are not going to take the ones you ideally want.

“Our offers for players is going to be less than what others can offer, but you can’t get down, if you get down in this game you would give up. We are where we are, we can afford what we can afford and we are working hard to strengthen the group.”

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