Manager Neil Harris expects Gillingham to make at least one new signing before the transfer window closes tonight but more than that could be unlikely.

With a lack of interest from other clubs in any of Gills’ squad, there is little room to manoeuvre for Harris, who is working on a modest budget. His key target is a centre-back and any more than that is a bonus.

Gills fans will have been encouraged, however, by co-chairman Paul Fisher’s late night Tweet on Wednesday, saying he expects a busy day ahead. Harris will be hoping that’s the case, particularly after his fringe players failed to deliver against Charlton in the Papa John’s Trophy.

“It is clear that I want us to add to the group,” said the manager after Wednesday night's defeat.

“Whatever way it falls, I will have the group on Friday morning and it will be my job to make sure I get the right formation and the right team to be getting a clean-sheet mentality at one end, which seemed to have been found before Wednesday, and then build the other end as well.

“Hopefully we add to the group but whatever is in the building on Friday, then they are my boys and that is what I will work with until January (when the window reopens).

“The majority of clubs are in the same boat at the moment, at times I thought, ‘here we go, we have done something’ and then it falls through. That has been the story of the summer, we are used to it now at the football club.

“We will see what unfolds. Do I expect at least one player to come in? Yes I do, 100%. I will be majorly disappointed if we don’t. We will see what happens. When we get back on the training pitch at 10am on Friday, then that will be my group going into January.”

Harris has maintained his key aim is for a centre-back, which would give him more confidence to play his preferred four-man defence. Last season and this one too, he has had to revert to a wing-back system to give extra cover, which has then hampered his team’s efforts of scoring.

It appears there is still room in the transfer budget for a defender but Harris admits the fact nobody is leaving lessons his hopes of adding any extra additions upfront.

“Realistically it does,” he said. “We are running a tight ship, a tight budget. Once we have got one in then it is probably a case of someone having to go out to bring someone else in. My phone has not rung so I don’t think players will be leaving.”

Transfer deadline day is prone to throwing up unexpected opportunities, however, as teams make last-minute changes. Harris certainly isn’t short of options if he gets the green light.

But he said: “You have to cipher through the rubbish as well, all due respect to the industry, agents are a little it deluded at times, space men. I have to go through it.

“Thursday will be a mega busy day. All day at the club I will be on my phone, hopefully doing some business.

“I have had days before (at other clubs) where I don’t have to worry about my phone because business is done and I’ve made it clear nobody is leaving so you can just turn your phone off.

“We want to do something. We have had no enquiries whatsoever about any of our players, I don’t think anyone will be leaving. If we can do something early then it is done, but if not then all hands to the pump all day. We certainly won’t have time to be thinking about Saturday or the wife and the children.

“We have a plan A, B and C. We need a centre-half and we do have options, that is the positive, and what happens around that we will have to see once we have done the centre-half.”

If it’s a quiet day it will be a case of working with what he has until January. With the team sitting 21st in League 2, without a goal in their last six outings, fans will certainly hope some deals can be struck.

Harris said: “Once we are done, (we’re then) finding the right combinations. I am fed up talking about it myself to be honest!

“I have to find that right balance between a clean-sheet mentality and trying to score goals, it has been quite hard for me to be honest since I have been here, last season and this season, trying to find that balance, keep searching, once the transfer window shuts I can focus on Swindon on Saturday.”