Stephen Clemence is looking forward to seeing new signing Remeao Hutton in a Gillingham shirt, hoping that starts this weekend at Priestfield.

The right back signed from Swindon Town this week and is expected to go straight into the starting line up to face managerless Forest Green Rovers.

Speaking at his weekly press conference, Clemence started by talking about new signing Hutton – he told us, “I am delighted to have him at the Football Club. He is someone who was flagged up to me quite a while ago.”

“Looking at the chances he has created is right up there with the very best across all leagues in the country. He’s had a number of assists – gets balls into the box, is athletic and can go past people and he also wants to get better!”

“He is the right type (of player) that we want in the Football Club, right personality, right character and so will fit in nicely here.”

“I have to say well done to all the recruitment team and the owners for getting this deal over the line because we did have competition, and we are delighted that he’s chosen us and I am really looking forward to working with him. He will add something there’s no doubt about it…” 

“When I arrived at the Club, I think one of the things that I flagged up in my interview process were the lack of balls that were going into the box – were our strikers getting enough service?”

“They have taken some criticism this season for maybe not scoring enough goals, but sometimes they may have had a lack of service!”

“It is something we have worked on since I arrived and we are pleased in the direction that it’s going, but we have got to keep it going!” 

“As long as the paperwork goes through with the League, he will be available for this weekend.” 

“He has settled in nicely so far – he knows a couple of the lads already; Connor Mahoney from his days at Birmingham and Jonny Williams at Swindon.”

“I think it helps when you go into a new dressing room when there is a familiar face. When I was playing, I only moved Clubs a couple of times, but when you walk into a dressing room for the first time, there is a lot of people looking at you and you want a “kind” space to go and sit where you hopefully know somebody.”

“I always felt that the way players came into a dressing room that I was in, or when I moved Clubs myself, the way of getting respect in that dressing room was how you perform; it’s not how you are – obviously you want to be a decent person, and I don’t think that we’ll be recruiting anyone here who we don’t think is the right character, but it’s how you perform on the football pitch which really gets you the respect of the dressing room.”

“That’s football and that is the way it has always been, and I am sure that that will not change!” 

Gills will welcome Forest Green Rovers to Priestfield on Saturday – a Forest Green side who are managerless as they sacked Troy Deeney on Thursday – sadly after we had spoken with the Gills Head Coach. 

“We are a point off the Play Offs, so we are heading in the right direction. But we have got to bring that every week!” Clemence said as his side look to make it four League wins in a row on Saturday against a Rovers side winless since October.

“We will not win every week, we know that, we will have some disappointing days, but as long as we are performing and doing the right things, performing well, results normally follow.”

“Before we went on this run, I thought we had a couple of “OK” performances as well and we were not on the right end of the result. So, performance is key, let us keep trying to perform to the standards that we have set and keep trying to improve on that and let us see where that takes us!” 

The Head Coach then confirmed that Dom Jefferies and Ashley Nadesan – who both missed last weekend’s win at Accrington should be available after training all week, whilst Oli Hawkins who was subbed after an hour last week, is fit and will be in the squad. 

In other Gills news, Scott Malone’s wonderful volley against Sutton United has won the League Two Goal of the Month award for December.