Gillingham are having to adapt as wingers continue to face injury problems – Garath McCleary and Jonny Smith remain out with Aaron Rowe back now following another spell sidelined

Gillingham are having to adapt to different tactics due to a lack of wingers.

Assistant boss Richard Dobson admits they’re having to be more creative with their selection as wide-men Jonny Smith and Garath McCleary remain out and Aaron Rowe makes a tentative recovery from his own spell out injured.

On Saturday, the Gills had three strikers on the pitch, with Seb Palmer-Houlden, Sam Vokes and Josh Andrews all named in the starting eleven.

Rowe wasn’t fit to start and Dobson admits McCleary is still not ready to be involved. Wigan loan winger Smith is also out injured, adding to their lack of natural wide players. Joe Gbode and Jack Nolan were options at the start of the season but both have left.

“I think we've been quite adaptable tactically,” said the Gills assistant manager, who has used various formations in recent weeks.

“At this moment in time, with a lack of wingers, we might have to do something a little bit different.

“In an ideal world, we'd like everyone available and we could probably play with wingers in the side.

“Rowe came back into the fold [on Saturday] and was never going to start the game.

“We just thought [the three strikers] was the right combination to go with.”

The Gills still managed to create chances on Saturday, with 14 shots and an xG of 2.27 compared to Salford’s 0.97.

Dobson said: “I think ultimately when you look back at the game and you take the emotion out of it, we probably did enough with our front players to warrant that being the right inclusion.

“Whether or not it's the right one for next week's game, we'll have a look again.”

Smith is out with a calf injury and Dobson says 38-year-old McCleary is still “a week or two away” from being involved.

Since his summer move, McCleary came off