Gillingham sit top of League Two as they go into the weekend’s fixtures and manager Gareth Ainsworth is expecting a tough test as they head to Bromley.

For Ainsworth and his squad, this weekend is arguably the most challenging – away to closest rivals Bromley (who comfortably did the double over the Gills last year in the club’s first ever League meetings), but it will have national coverage as it’s the game that Sky are offering directly against England’s World Cup qualifier with Andorra, which is where we started this week’s chat with the Gills boss – which game would he as the massive football fan he is, sooner watch?  

Smiling he replied, “It’s a very hypothetical question! I enjoy watching the national team and am a very proud Englishman and enjoy the national team, but my heart is properly with Gillingham at the moment, and I am loving what we are doing!”

“I do think that our game will be very exciting – you could look at the England game and think that it will be very one-sided and it could be about how many goals they will score against Andorra, with no disrespect meant to Andorra!” Ainsworth added, “I think our game will be a little bit closer than that and could well be more exciting!” 

The teatime clash at Hayes Lane sees the only two unbeaten League Two sides going head-to-head and the Gills boss told us, “It will be a big test! They are a very good side; Andy (Woodman, the Bromley boss) has them going really well, they are very solid and unbeaten in the League – we know their strengths as we have worked on them – I am sure they’ve done the same on us – and we are expecting nothing more than going away from home in what will be my first Kent derby as Gillingham manager.”

“We are expecting a very tough test, but we are up for it and I’m sure the fans will travel well. The added bit about the game being on Sky is nice, my boys are up for it definitely, and our standards of training certainly has been good this week.”  

We then spoke about Tuesday’s 4-1 win against Fulham under 21s in the EFL Trophy at Priestfield and the manager said, “I was really, really pleased!”

“To have the number of youngsters on the pitch at the end against a Premier League side under 21s, they may well have been a Gillingham under 23s side – it was a brilliant moment for the Club.”

“The young boys have been coming in since bouncing off the walls the last couple of days as they really enjoyed playing the game.”

“When I came in and said that we were going to have a small squad where everyone could smell the first team and everyone would have a chance, Tuesday was the kind of thing that I was envisaging.”

“With the likes of Sam Gale and Andy Smith on the bench not getting a look in because the boys took it on and did so well – I was so proud of them all!”

“We have a good future here and hopefully we can carry on that performance both this weekend at Bromley and the next group game of the Trophy next month at Colchester.” 

Whilst Ainsworth signed three players on Monday’s deadline day in Garath McCleary, Jonny Smith and Travis Akomeah, Joe Gbode and Jack Nolan both left MEMS Priestfield – on Gbode’s departure to Luton Town, Ainsworth said, “It’s a brilliant move for him. Matt Bloomfield (the Luton boss) is a top manager and will look after Joe.”

“We are very much in the same mold – he was my captain at Wycombe for ten years and was my roommate when I first signed for that Club!” 

“We are very much from the same bracket of coaching and man management – I think Joe needs that and will be man managed really well!”

“I still say the biggest part of this football game is the mental side without a shadow of a doubt and I will always say that!”

“If any of your readers want to disagree with me I will have that debate with them because it is so, so huge and is neglected a lot in some places, but certainly we look at it and it is a big thing in my mind all the time and Matt manages like that, so I think its will be the perfect environment for Joe to thrive in.”

“There will be plenty of competition, it’s a league up! Luton love their powerful quick strikers, and Joe is certainly one of those – whether he’s seen as a wide striker or a central one – I think he fits the Luton mold quite well and I am hoping that he does really well because he is a good lad!” 

“With Jack, what I will say is the way that he conducted himself for someone who knew he wasn’t going to feature too much, just because from the previous regimes, I didn’t feel he had the attributes that I wanted as a wide man.”

“He’s very unlucky – he played a couple of games for me last season, but it was important that I wanted to change a few bits and a few things here and Jack going opened the door for the likes of Garath, Jonny to come in.” 

“I will say that Jack Nolan conducted himself very well whatever people may think of him, he is a great human being, and I am wishing him all the best as well!”