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Manager Steve Evans couldn’t hide his frustration at the lack of resources at Gillingham as his only fit striker limped off injured on Tuesday.
Evans knew the challenge at Gillingham was big when he took over two seasons ago but says he will be “considering his options” if Vadaine Oliver’s midweek knock keeps him out at the weekend and no replacement can be brought in.
Oliver was Gills’ only recognised striker before Tuesday’s Carabao Cup game, meaning Evans had to risk his main man in the cup competition against Cheltenham.
Oliver landed badly after scoring and couldn’t play the second half. Defender David Tutonda had already limped off injured.
Central-defender Max Ehmer was asked to play the second 45 minutes up top.
In a forthright interview post-match, Evans admitted there was a red line for him at the club, saying: “If V is out and David Tutonda is out we are in a critical situation. I can’t keep taking kids and putting them in, you could see with young Bailey (Akehurst) he is not ready, he will be but he is not ready yet, we got caught a little bit with that when David went off, but we cannot keep patching this up with kids, or using Max Ehmer up as a striker.
“I need to sit down with the chairman and see where we are. What we have got now is a massive, massive problem. I need to have a chat with the chairman to see what can be done, if nothing can be done we know where we are.
“I am down because I look at what I have to do at half-time, I have to put a centre-back upfront, it is Roy of the Rovers stuff. Max did alright but he was never going to create the same problems as Vadaine.
“I wanted a striker in anyway. If we don’t get another one in then it’s head scratching time. Then it is really time to consider what I want to do.
"We had better options last year in the attacking department than we do this year, we have got Vadaine, that is it. John Akinde is not fit, Gerald (Sithole) is miles away, 10 miles away and he is off with Covid regardless, that is the only other recognised striker and we had to play Max upfront.
“If Vadaine is out and we are told to go with no strikers (to Shrewsbury on Saturday) then that is no project for me. We would be going on the coach with 13-14 players, two goalkeepers and kids, the kids are not ready.
“If, and I am hoping it is not the case, if Vadaine was out we are that low on numbers, then why am I here? I care too much. I am too good at my job to be in this situation.
“The chairman has six seasons fighting relegation battles, I don’t leave my family three or four nights a week to fight relegation battles. We have to have a chance of winning games in league 1.
“I am not suggesting, I am saying, if we lose those two players it is virtually impossible as we are to win games of football.
“I will have a chat with the boss. He might think someone can win games in League 1 with that. I am not a quitter, I am in the trenches, I am fighting, but I am saying it is hard on us and I am looking at their bench and then six or seven in the stand, League 2 and League 1 players.”
Evans sat next to the chairman for most of Tuesday's match, heading down to the touchline for the final 20 minutes.
He said: "I sat beside him second half and he said 'why are you playing Max upfront?' I said we had no other striker. I only have Vadaine Oliver. Danny Lloyd isn’t a striker, he is a 10 or a wide player, we are having to deploy Danny up there, to run about and create an impact, which he was brilliant at on Saturday but we shouldn't be starting him as a striker in League 1.
"Nothing changes from last week, we get in the trenches, I might get a call from Gary (the physio) that the injury isn’t that bad but we need one in anyway, you can’t compete in League 1 with 14 players."
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