Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth was without long-term no.2 Richard Dobson for the first time on Saturday, as Pete Gill stepped up to assist in the dugout

Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth admitted it was a strange feeling to be without his long-term assistant at the weekend.

Richard Dobson’s appointment as Gillingham’s technical director was announced last week and Ainsworth’s first game without his right-hand man was on Saturday, in a 4-1 home loss to Grimsby Town.

Dobson stood at the top of the Medway Stand, rather than being alongside Ainsworth in the dugout, as he has been since the pair first came together as a management duo at Wycombe Wanderers in 2012.

Ainsworth had Gills’ first-team coach Pete Gill for company on Saturday and will choose his new assistant before next season.

Speaking on Saturday about the new set-up, Ainsworth said: “It was strange without him, but change is good, and this is a great change for Gillingham.

“We'll get to the end of this tunnel and see the light and realise what we've done and why we've done it. I want to be a big part of that next season.

“The club's been crying out for somebody to be organised and have experience in this role. Richard's got so much experience in the academy system. He was doing that before he became my assistant and produced some really good players at Wycombe Wanderers.

“He's in-depth, he's detailed. He thinks the same as me. We're always together.

“I don't think there's going to be too much of a change on that side of things, but the club will gain on a lot of experience with academies, and not just academies, but right down to the grassroots and everything.

“Richard will be in charge of the long-term technical planning of everything, while I'll be in charge of the day-to-day football. They're both intertwined. It's a great job for him, and I'm pleased for him.”

The first game of the new set-up didn’t go