Gillingham head to Doncaster Rovers this weekend with injury concerns to key men.

Captain Kyle Dempsey is a doubt, star winger Jordan Graham is expected to miss out and striker Dominic Samuel is also carrying a knock.

On top of that, Celtic loan man Scott Robertson picked up another injury in the midweek EFL Trophy defeat to Cambridge United.

Boss Steve Evans was only able to name four substitutes from a possible seven on Tuesday with Josh Eccles suspended for the Trophy match and illness ruling both Christian Maghoma and Jacob Mellis out.

Mellis received a negative Covid test and is back training now following a serious knee injury that at one stage threatened to keep him out for the season. He could feature at the weekend but all depends on his fitness.

Evans, speaking about summer signing Mellis, said: “If he lived with me he would be playing every week and probably in the Championship, he is that level, but he doesn’t live with me, he lives on his own.

“He didn’t feel well, we got him tested, it was negative. He trained Tuesday and we will see where it goes. Jacob coming in and saying he is ill is not a shock to me, I have had him twice as a manager.

“We will see what he is like on Thursday (today). We have never hidden it about Mellis, you get him on the pitch and give him the ball he is as good as anything, it is just getting some consistency and sometimes that is just turning up and training.”

Dempsey and Samuel both have knocks and Evans has said the pair are doubts for the weekend. Both will be assessed in the next two days.

Teenage midfielder Robertson was struggling again with his hamstring on Tuesday and replaced at the break. He’s been in and out of the side since signing from the Parkhead side but unable to get any consistency due to continuing injury issues.

“He feels his hamstring every time he plays a second game doesn’t he?” said the frustrated Gills boss. “He’s got second-game-itis and he’s 19.”

Graham has missed the last two league games with a hamstring injury of his own and could have to sit it out again this Saturday.

“Maybe he’ll have half a squeak for Accrington,” said the Gills boss, looking ahead to the midweek visit of John Coleman’s side.

“We will give him every opportunity. He is such a wonderful player and we miss him. We have been missing some huge players, some real good players. We are having to get through it again at a key time.

“We have a run of games that is really tough, Doncaster, Accrington - I’ve nothing but total respect and admiration for the job John Coleman (the League 1 manager of the month for November) has done - Rochdale and Posh and Northampton and Plymouth, it is a real tough spell but I am sure the week after Plymouth (when the January transfer window is back open) we will be a lot stronger than how we started the season as a squad.”

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