|
"They are a decent team, and they play a 4-5-1 come 4-3-3. They go about it in the right manner and have some strong, experienced lads in there as well as a bit of pace in the wide areas. It will be a tough game but hopefully one here at Priestfield that we can get something out of.
"The results haven't been good but there has been some encouraging aspects of play so we can take something out of that. Like I have been saying over the last few weeks, it is just sustaining that. If we can, we will be a match for anyone on our day.
"We have to defend from the front. It is not just the back four and the goalkeeper. We need to put a bit of pressure on the ball in the right areas and force people into playing the ball a bit quicker. It is then difficult for us to hold a high-line without pressure on the ball. We need to improve on that and maybe we can keep a clean sheet or two.
"When somebody scores a goal against you, if it is a good goal, then you have to hold your hands up sometimes. Some of the goals we have conceded, they have been too self-inflicted, which disappoints me. Hopefully we can eradicate that.
"Scoring goals from midfield is something we worked on at the beginning of the season. We had a chat about it but didn't set specific targets in terms of numbers. I just said to the midfielders and the wide-boys that I need a few goals from them. That stood out last season like a sore thumb. The boys are doing something about it this year."
"As people have seen in some of our games, we have created numerous chances and hopefully that will continue. If it is on, then have a go. That has always been the case for me. If you can get yourself into an area to have a strike, then have a strike. If you can slip somebody in who is in a better position, then do that as well. Last season, we struggled to score goals in the latter part of the game but we are now doing that this season.
"Sometimes when you are creating chances and they are not going in, that is how it goes, that is not your day and you have to accept that. You get out on the training ground and keep working at it. If the lads are good enough, they will get through it, if not and they are lacking that bit of quality, then you look to change it around. We have done that at times this season, although it is difficult, one thing I will say about the lads is they give me everything that they have got.
"Matty Jarvis will be playing. We had a game at Fulham on Tuesday, behind closed doors, and he came through that okay after playing 30 minutes. Brent Sancho and Kelvin Jack both played in that and they will be back out on the training ground and trying to up their work-rate. Hopefully they will progress into next weekend and we will see where we are up to then.
"We are not a one-man team by any stretch of the imagination. We have a wonderful togetherness here and Matty Jarvis is a big part of that as are each and every one of the boys that pull on the shirt of Gillingham Football Club. I like them to have a good spirit, which we have. Matty gives us something that is a little bit different and a lot of other teams would like that.
"We work extremely hard on Matty and I know he appreciates it. Hopefully we can improve one or two more as we go along. He is a great addition to the team and squad, not just because of his playing ability but how he conducts himself around the place and off the pitch as well, which is a credit to him and his family."
On the three-month loan signing yesterday of MK Dons's transfer-listed centre-half Ben Chorley, Jepson commented :
"We can have a look at him, he's here until January, he can have a look at us, and if he progresses the way I think he can progress he'll be a great addition to the Football Club. Now he's come in I'm not going to drop people for the sake of it, what I want is players in so there is competition for places. When you do that it spurs the other boys on and it's healthy."
As Jepson has mentioned, Chorley will go straight into the Gills squad for tomorrow, along with winger Jarvis who missed last weekend's draw with Brentford due to a knee injury, midfielder Mark Bentley also comes back into contention after being left out of the game against the Bees as he was suffering from a virus. Long-term knee injury-victims, and Trinidad and Tobago international duo, Sancho and Jack are still at least a week away from full match fitness though.
The referee for tomorrow's match is Paul Melin from Frimley in Surrey, and he will be assisted down the lines by Simon Beck from Essex and Gary Evetts from Hertfordshire, meanwhile the fourth official will be Matt Stewart from Essex.