Gillingham finally return to action at MEMS Priestfield this weekend as they host League Two’s bottom side Newport County and defender Max Clark has been speaking about the squad’s expectations and hopes for the second half of the season.

Speaking to KSN at this week’s briefing, Clark admitted, “We are all really looking forward to the game this weekend. It feels like a long time since we last played – it has given us a chance to really work on things in training what we can take into our games for the second half of the season; we are buzzing to be back out on that Priestfield pitch on Saturday.” 

The Welsh side arrive in Kent with Christian Fuchs in charge and the former full-back, who won the Premier League with Leicester City in 2015, has been tasked with keeping County in the Football League and they kick off at Priestfield, two points from safety after taking four points from their last three games, although they were beaten by table topping Bromley last time out. 

“We know that it will be a tough task against a Newport team and they have a new manager from when we played them in the Cup,” Clark told us adding, “We always look at ourselves before we look at the opposition – they have a different manager and different players from the side that we beat in the League and then lost to in the Cup; they’ve already brought some new players in during this window, but being at home always gives us a boost with the Priestfield crowd behind us and it will be a good game I am sure!” 

“The break has given more people time to get back fit and fully fit with a near enough full squad to choose from. It’s coming back together now – everyone is getting back fit, so the competition is really there which is healthy now within the group and gives us all a really positive mindset going into the weekend with everyone involved.” 

“The competition has certainly increased the intensity in the training these last couple of weeks since everyone has come back in. You can see every single person trying to fight for the shirt – it’s been “nice” training these past couple of weeks, it really has!” 

The Gills will be looking for their first win at Priestfield since mid-September – a run of seven games of which six (including the last five) have been draws. It’s a fact that the players are only too well aware of as Clark admitted, “it’s obviously as frustrating to us as it is to the fans, but we are playing well.”

“We’ve been on the front foot in most games but haven’t been getting the results – I feel like we have been playing well, and we have been working really hard on what we can do better in the final third and the end product and getting players in different positions.”

“It has given us time with not playing and games being off to focus on that! We have been looking at trying to get into better areas at the top end of the pitch and we have a group where we know that we have the quality, and I think that we just have to show that which is what we have been working on really hard in this period where we haven’t had a game!” 

“The Gaffer has been positive, Dobbo (Richard Dobson) has been positive and everyone in the building is looking forward to the second half of the season for sure.”

“Everyone needs to chip in with goals and not put too much pressure on the strikers – we all know that our end product needs to be better and we all are in this together to help each other out.” 

Not that long ago of course the Gills established a new Club unbeaten League run at Newport – a Saturday afternoon that seems an age away.

“It does feel a long time ago,” Clark agreed, “That’s what we are looking to try and achieve again. We are going to take every game as it comes starting with Newport on Saturday and look to show the fans what we have been doing the last two weeks as a group and really get on that front foot!”