Gillingham v Bradford City preview and team news ahead of League 2 clash at Priestfield – head coach Stephen Clemence on injury latest as Jonny Williams declared fit

Gillingham playmaker Jonny Williams has been declared fit to face a team he almost joined in the summer.

Williams needed stitches in a facial wound as the Gills beat Charlton in the FA Cup two weeks ago and since then his team-mates have been told to steer clear of him in training to avoid making the injury worse.

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Head coach Stephen Clemence has said the 30-year-old former Welsh international is now good to go this Saturday and is available to play a club who got close to signing him before the Gills jumped in.

Bradford thought they had their man before a call from the Gills led to him checking out of his hotel in Yorkshire and signing on the dotted line at Priestfield on a three-year deal, preferring to join a club closer to his friends and family in Kent.

“He has had the stitches out and he is ready to go and available,” confirmed the Gills boss on Thursday.

“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.”

Williams had been eating and drinking through a straw since going off injured against Charlton in the first half of that fixture at Priestfield.

Clemence - linked to the Bradford management vacancy himself before joining the Gills - now has the luxury of a near fully-fit squad ahead of a busy schedule.

With six games in 22 days, starting at home to Bradford tomorrow, Clemence has a 22-man senior squad to select from.

He 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