Gillingham are preparing the youngsters again as another injury crisis has hit the club.

The Gills have been troubled all season by injury problems and are about to welcome League 1 giants Sheffield Wednesday with a diminishing group.

Harris: Recruitment has been a shambles

Robbie McKenzie was the latest to limp off injured as the Gills were beaten 1-0 at Charlton on Tuesday night.

Ryan Jackson, Mustapha Carayol, Ben Reeves and goalkeeper Aaron Chapman have all been ruled out of play in recent games.

“If the youngsters have to step in and play, then so be it,” said manager Neil Harris.

“Harvey Lintott came on and did all right (at Charlton), put a great ball in second half. But he has not had enough football this season and I have not seen enough of him on a big pitch to judge him at the moment.

“Sometimes in adversity you go to the youngsters and Josh Chambers came on and did really well at the weekend for 20 minutes. Harvey came on and did okay. That is the difference, when Charlton bring on Jason Pearce [their captain] and Elliot Lee [an experienced striker], at this level.

“We have Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend and we have looked at their team and their bench and who they didn’t include. It is just levels and budgets.

“We will find a team and a system on Saturday to make the club proud and have a right go against Sheffield Wednesday.”

Gillingham remain in the bottom four after their defeat to Charlton.

Wednesday are heading to Gillingham with an army of fans. The Yorkshire side have been given the whole of the Brian Moore Stand behind the goal and a section of the Gordon Road Stand. Wednesday’s total ticket allocation for the fixture was 3,636 and it’s sure to be the biggest away crowd at Priestfield this season.

The Owls were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Accrington on Tuesday night and sit just outside the play-off places in League 1.

It will be their first visit to Priestfield since suffering a 4-1 FA Cup defeat against the Gills in 2003. Fan numbers in the home end should also be swelled by the visit of a big team and Gillingham’s renewed hope of survival.

“It should be a good atmosphere,” Harris said.

“These are the games (that I remember) as a Millwall player having played at Priestfield, they are the great atmospheres when they are 8-9,000 in there. It is a tight ground and Sheffield Wednesday travel well.

“These are big games and we have to enjoy them. We look forward to them. We need our fans to get behind the team and since the day I arrived they have been fantastic, as they were at Charlton.”