Gillingham assistant manager Richard Dobson is taking charge of the team at MK Dons while boss Gareth Ainsworth recovers from heart surgery

Assistant boss Richard Dobson is ready to step up in the absence of manager Gareth Ainsworth over the next few weeks.

Dobson will take charge of the Gillingham team for their match at MK Dons this Saturday, and could remain at the helm for the rest of the month, depending on how long Ainsworth is out following heart surgery.

It’s not the first time that Dobson has been called upon to take the reins and he’s not fazed by the prospect.

Dobson said: “I love the pressure of football and in the past when I've taken the team and been the number one, I’ve loved it.

“I enjoy it, so it's not something that fazes me. I'm quite relaxed about doing it.

“When we were in the Championship (at Wycombe Wanderers), Gaz injured his back quite badly and got rushed in for an emergency operation. I was told to take the team against Sheffield Wednesday.

“We got a 1-0 win against Sheffield Wednesday and then we went to Birmingham City on a Tuesday and won.

“We then played a really strong Nottingham Forest side, and got beaten 2-0, but that was the first two wins in Wycombe’s Championship history, and it was nice. You always worry about whether you can carry the flag for somebody else and about doing it justice.”

Dobson was Ainsworth’s right-hand man throughout their time at Wycombe and then QPR and Shrewsbury, before taking charge of the Gills together.

The experienced no.2 has every confidence in his own ability to take charge for as long as needed.

He said: “I think over the years, with all of the studying that I've done, the work I've done on the touchline and learning, if I haven't got the pieces in place by now then I probably shouldn't be doing the job!

“I'm calm about what the next month or so brings. I don't know the exact time frame,