Productive and positive. That was the assessment from Gillingham boss Steve Evans after meeting with his staff over the past two days.

He’s already met the players and declared who he wants and who he doesn’t and this week it’s been the turn of the staff to be told how he would like things to proceed.

Evans has already announced that none of the second year scholars would be offered professional deals but he’s keen to work closer with the youth department having identified some promising talent on the horizon.

Among those he met was academy manager Bryan Bull and youth/under-23 boss Craig Stone.

“It’s been productive,” said Evans.

“We’ve not got lots of staff behind the scenes anyway, but we had a positive meeting and we’ve spoken about how we need to intertwine the senior youth with the first team more.

“We are going to need the Walshies and the Tuckers aren’t we to come through? Last year the first year youngsters, not to a man but as a bulk, were the better of the two years. They will be another year maturer when they come in and that’s a positive.

“We will still be going with 19-20 (senior) players next season and that is why we need our youngsters to step up, we really do, because we need them to be the back up. I am sure when they reported for the first day of last pre-season not one of them thought Jack Tucker would be playing the way he has.

“Jack is no different to one or two we have hopes for in the system and we will see where we go.

“In the main the meetings were positive but at the same time I had to almost say to them ‘we need football and we need it to be back certainly before the turn of the year, at the latest, if we are all to remain in our jobs'. That’s not just Gillingham but probably the bulk of League 1 and 2 and half of the Championship, but I am confident we will be.

“I am confident we will be starting towards the end of September, early October.”

The Gills have already announced that goalkeeper coach Simon Royce would be leaving and there are interns that were part of the backroom team last year who will be moving on.

“Obviously we couldn’t commit to anything going forward at the minute,” said the manager.

“I had two hours with the chairman on Monday morning and agreed that the first criteria was to find out when the Football League is looking to start next season and I had a long meeting about players and the ones we have announced and the players I would like to bring in, going into specific names. That was worthwhile.

“I will be back in Thursday and Friday to go through the bits and pieces with the chairman and the board about the contracts for the boys who are still waiting to hear from us.”

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