Welsh international Jonny Williams has been declared fit to play against the club he almost joined in the summer when Gillingham welcome Bradford City to Priestfield this weekend.
Gillingham have been without the midfielder since he suffered a facial injury during their FA Cup second round clash against Charlton Athletic, where Stephen Clemence’s side emerged 2-0 victors over the League One outfit.
Williams required stitches to treat his injury and has been separate from his teammates in training to avoid making the injury worse.
However, the manager has confirmed that the 30-year-old will be fit to feature against the Bantams this weekend – the club that nearly secured his services in the summer.
Then-manager Mark Hughes thought he had his man before favouring a late approach from the Gills, preferring the move closer to his friends and family in Kent.
Williams signed a three-year deal with the club and has made 18 League Two appearances since joining from rivals Swindon Town in the summer. His return will be a needed-boost for the squad, which will be required in full as they prepare for the prospect of playing six matches in the space of 22 days – including a visit from Premier League outfit Sheffield United in the third round of the FA Cup.
In other injury news, Clemence has stated that two members of his squad have missed training but could be available for selection this weekend. In an interview with KentOnline, Clemence told the media:
“He has had the stitches out and he is ready to go and available.
“He hasn’t missed any training but he had to be careful he didn’t get another bang on it. It was quite a nasty injury and was a difficult week or so for him but he’s fine.”
On the availabilities of the entire squad, Clemence said:
“We’re nearly at full strength heading into the weekend, which is a good thing.
“There will be some difficult decisions to make over the weekend, that is the worst part about the job when you have to let people down but also from my point of view it is the best thing because I want as many players as possible to pick from.
“I have certainly got a lot of good players down in that dressing room and I have no hesitation in playing any of them.
“It is great. It does give you problems and you have to have difficult conversations with people, all players want to player football, the modern game now is so quick and fast, players do understand that there might be a little bit of rotation, they always feel they have an opportunity to play and that is what they should be feeling, I hope they are feeling that.
“I have used most of them already since I have been here, barring the ones who have been injured, and it’s good to have them all available.”
Writer’s View
Williams’ return will prove a much needed boost for Clemence’s side – his ability and experience will be a key asset moving into a busy period which will see Gillingham’s squad stretched with the prospect of six games in 22 days.
Clemence and Gills fans will be pleased to know that the squad is mostly intact and available for the winter period.
