Time to stick together

It´s been quite an eventful few days at Gillingham and following Andy Hessenthaler´s resignation, John Gorman has also quit the club to become Wycombe boss.

All the lads were keen for John to stay on because he is a very good coach, but when the chance came up for him at Wycombe, he made it clear that he wanted to move on. He had apparently been in line for the job before and as the club is on his doorstep, he felt it was an opportunity he couldn´t refuse.

Iwan Roberts and Paul Smith have been taking training this week but we are all in the dark at the moment with regards to a long-term appointment. Apparently the chairman has around 20 people to interview for the position, so in the meantime, we´ve just got to get our heads down and keep working hard for each other. When you´re up against it, you really discover the true character of a squad and I think that showed in our win against Nottingham Forest last Saturday.

It was a real six-pointer but you could tell that we wanted it more than them on the day and those three points have really given the lads a boost this week. Now we´ve got to go to Cardiff and repeat the display in a game that again, is vital for both sides.

Having pulled away from trouble, a run of defeats has left Lennie Lawrence´s side back on the fringes of the relegation zone and we´ve got to take advantage if they´re still in a rut. Ninian Park is never a nice place to go and play because their fans can really get on your back and I think it´s more intense there because of the England/Wales situation. Mind you, I think it´s a good time to play Cardiff because of their form and if we can silence their crowd early on, then that should really work in our favour.

Having Tommy Johnson back from injury could also work to our advantage. He came off the bench to score against Forest and has a wealth of experience behind him. He also knows where the net is, as we all know only too well in training, and he could be like a new signing to us if he can stay fit for the rest of the season.

Finally, I must mention that Darren Byfield is taking his newly-found fame in good heart. As Jamelia´s boyfriend, he gets quite a lot of stick in the dressing room if one of her songs comes on. All the lads will start singing along to wind him up and if he appears in one of the gossip columns, he gets it even more, but he never lets it affect his football - even if he´s spending all his spare time at glitzy showbiz parties. I´m still waiting for my invite!