Gillingham are “Covid-free” ahead of their New Year’s Day trip MK Dons.

The Gills begin 2022 embroiled in a battle for survival in League 1 and boss Steve Evans isn’t hiding away from the challenge ahead.

Speaking on Friday morning, Evans said: “We are Covid free, we still have two of the seven with breathing difficulties but that is easing and we are told that is normal.

“In respect of injuries we still have injuries to one or two key players but it has been nice to have 14-16 senior players on the grass this week. The players have enjoyed it and it has been great. We will see if we can get a couple more out there.”

The club will continue daily testing for Covid, with Evans revealing one player returned a second positive test for the same strain of coronavirus but is now back training.

The EFL have removed the need for clubs to test players on matchdays in a bid to get more games on throughout the current wave of infections and help stop the late postponement of matches.

But Evans said: “I think that’s absolute nonsense, whoever came up with that one, we have a pandemic sweeping across the country and we will test, I am sure MK will do the same. They will want us to do it, the people of Milton Keynes would want us to do it. Every one of our players’ families would want to make sure we are doing things properly.

“We are desperate for football, we want it on. We will continue our measures, we test every day, players and staff. We all tested on Friday morning and got the green light to train.”

A number of key men have been missing in the last month, including Kyle Dempsey and Vadaine Oliver. There may be some players coming back from injury but Evans is keeping names to himself.

Norwich midfielder Dan Adshead is still at least two weeks away, the manager said.

The Gills haven’t played since December 11, losing 2-1 to Fleetwood. Since then they have dropped to second from bottom, five points from safety.

“We need to be tactically astute at MK, our players need to work incredibly hard and there should be a lot of enthusiasm because we haven’t played since Fleetwood which seems donkey’s time ago. I am looking forward to 3pm when referee Charles Breakspear blows the match whistle.”

On the battle at the bottom, Evans said: “If we don’t get players out of the treatment room we have a real problem and anyone in that bottom four if they don’t recognise they are in a battle then they are misguiding the fans and looking in the mirror and telling a lie.

“We are in a battle but we have a rationale of why. Ten days ago we had eight players missing who Gills fans would have put in their starting eleven, it is an incredible number. There is no team in the league that have had to endure that.

“We are still fighting, we are still battling, we dropped a place in midweek (to second bottom) but it makes no difference. If we are there at the end of the season we are down aren’t we? We need to win some matches.”

Looking forward to a new year, he added: “We are normally stronger in the second part of the season, we will be stronger providing we have injuries cleared up and providing we can do one or two bits in January and we will win matches.

“The hope is everyone can get through 2022 as safely as they can and nobody gets that call about their love ones. It is about wishing everyone health and happiness outside of football and inside it, let’s win some games.”