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Gillingham boss Steve Evans is unlikely to be taking any risks with his senior players in the Carabao Cup tonight.
Evans included several youngsters in his weekend matchday squad as a handful of first team players were nursing injuries. Captain Kyle Dempsey was a late inclusion after shaking off a knock.
Gillingham head to League 2 Crawley Town tonight (Tuesday) for the first round tie.
“Obviously I can’t make 11 changes because I don’t have the personnel,” Evans said.
“We will probably use some academy kids. I have to protect the first team group because it is so small.
“I know our chairman is working incredibly hard to get some income and raise some funds for us. We need some help and the chairman is aware of it. We had a meeting long into the evening on Friday and he knows what we are working with. He is a very experienced chairman, he knows we are backs to the wall at times.”
It could mean a bigger involvement for the likes of Harvey Lintott and Gerald Sithole tonight. Striker John Akinde has been nursing an ankle injury and could return to give Vadaine Oliver a breather.
It’s a match against one of Evans’ former teams but his focus is the challenge in League 1.
He added: “We are competing against one of my former clubs, I have friends and family still in the town, that club will always be deep in my heart but I have to protect Gillingham Football Club for Plymouth (in League 1 on Saturday).
“We will try and go and win but maybe we will have to try and do it a bit different.”
Crawley Town’s own approach to the game may have changed following the postponement of their weekend fixture against Harrogate Town. The Yorkshire side have called off their next three games because of Covid infections in the team.
Former Gills pair Jack Payne and Jake Hessenthaler could line up for Crawley. Both started in their 1-0 weekend defeat to Hartlepool.
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