Gillingham manager Steve Evans says striker Vadaine Oliver has a chance of being fit for the weekend.

Oliver limped out of the midweek League Cup game against Cheltenham Town after scoring his second goal of the season.

He’s been back in for gym sessions since then but Evans says he won’t get to know if he is available until tomorrow (Friday).

Evans said: “Does the big fella want to play? He has the heart the size of Big Ben, he is in good form, he got the penalty (against Morecambe) and is up and running and I don’t know another player in the league who can climb that high (for his goal against Cheltenham.

“His all-round play has excited us and he hasn’t been ruled out. He has a chance.”

Evans was hoping to meet the Gillingham chairman later on Thursday (today) to discuss the possibility of bringing more players in. Dialogue has taken place with two separate clubs in the hope of bringing in a striker. Talks are also ongoing with another about a wide player, although upfront is the priority.

Alex MacDonald is due to train on Monday so the weekend is likely to come too early for him. Left-back David Tutonda should be fit. He went off injured on Tuesday but with nothing more than a deadleg.

Striker John Akinde is likely to be back training early next week.

“John is hurting,” said the Gills boss. “I have chatted with him and the one thing I don’t doubt, and I said the same Tuesday, that when he says he is feeling something, he is feeling it. I don’t have any doubts he wants to be on that pitch.”

Ahead of his meeting with chairman Paul Scally, Evans said: “One thing that is important to me is that finances have to balance, bringing in a player or two and making the finances unstable is not a road we want to go down and I have supported the chairman with that, I just need some clarity on what we can do.

“There are financial decisions that have to be made, we have a cap on our income with what we can spend and I think the chairman was working on that Monday, just to see what was there.”

Evans added: “We will see where we go. I must said over 20 times on Tuesday I am in the trenches and I am here to fight and compete, but I need a chance, as every manager does.”

More on the Gills;

Evans says playing defender Ehmer upfront was his only option