Gillingham welcomed boss Gareth Ainsworth back to MEMS Priestfield after his recent heart surgery this week and whilst the manager will travel with the side to Bristol this weekend, he has confirmed that he will not yet return to take his place in the dugout. 

It was great to see Ainsworth back at this week’s briefing and the buzz around Priestfield at his return is clear to everyone, although as the man himself told us, he won’t be back in the dugout at Rovers Memorial Ground on Saturday.

“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to be on the bench for a few games, but being back at the ground and back at the training ground has been so important for me.” 

“It feels longer than it has been. I am all fixed now, which is the main thing, and I am ready to go.”

“I know that I must take it easy still for a while. It’s been hell watching from home and trying to do things from home – it has been frustrating, but I have to say that Dobbo (assistant Richard Dobson) and the staff, I can’t thank them enough for the way that they have taken things on in my absence.”

“I know that people will look at things and say that things haven’t gone great, but it would have probably been the same if I was here.”

“There’s no rhythm or reason in football – I was doing plenty of team selection behind the scenes, tactics behind the scenes – sometimes it goes like that, and you get these little runs!”

“What I will say is that I am really pleased to be back in and on the training pitch this week – as I say, I will be absent from the dugout for obvious reasons and won’t be as animated as usual as there are dangers of the ball hitting me and the like whilst I fully repair.”

“But like I said, it’s great to be back and I will be in the stadiums, doing the team-talks and things like that – I am really, really pleased to be back and thank you to everyone for all the messages that I have had.” 

“All fixed and raring to go now, just have to take things a bit slower than usual, but I will be fine!” 

“I did try to get to the Salford game,” Ainsworth went on, “Ridiculously it was way too early, but there was no way and then Newport just came too soon, so to be at the ground will be important.”

“I am going to have to teach myself probably not to get too emotionally involved in the game when I am detached from the dugout – when I was at home it was OK though, the Cheltenham game wasn’t the greatest at the end there when Elliott (Nevitt) scored right at the end as it shot the heart rate up!”

“It has been tough watching and just wanting to be there, but like I said, team talks and half times and full times I will be there. But in the actual dugout for the game, I will be just a bit more sensible for that for once in my life!” 

“I will be at the grounds and present at training – the boys have been great, they’ve been great for Dobbo and for me all season and I know that I have a fantastic bunch in the building and we can win games without a shadow of a doubt and we will get back to winning ways very quickly!“ 

Ainsworth confirmed Glenn Morris’s continued absence along with Conor Masterson although there was better news of the Irishman as he nears a return to light training.

The manager is hopeful that Armani Little, Jonny Williams and Robbie McKenzie will all be involved, whilst Gareth McCleary, Jonny Smith and Euan Williams are all pressing for a part of Saturday’s matchday squad.