“It’s going to be a real tough task”

Paul Cook shared an update as the transfer deadline nears and offered a preview of Saturday’s match against Gillingham.

He began by expressing his delight on capturing the signature of new signing Max Thompson, who arrived on a season-long loan from Newcastle United earlier on in the week.

He said: “It’s a great signing for us. There’s no hiding from the fact we’ve had to be patient with our goalkeeper situation but we’ve got there now and we’re really happy.

“Max is a fantastic lad and a great goalkeeper; he really adds to our group and provides great competition for Ryan [Boot].”

The transfer window closes at 11pm this evening, and the manager indicated that there could still be some activity in both directions before it shuts.

Speaking before the arrival of Jenson Metcalfe and departure of Joe Quigley, he said: “Never say never, that’s for sure.

“We’re happy with what we have right now but we’ll see what happens throughout the day. It’s just football, you just never know what’s going to happen.

“There will likely be some players going out before the end of the deadline. In terms of incomings, we’ll see how we get on.”

Finally, the manager previewed the clash with Gillingham.

“We thank our supporters for travelling down tomorrow,” he said. “It’s a long journey and as always, we greatly appreciate the people coming down and backing us. It’s a fantastic effort but it always is from our supporters.

“It’s going to be a real tough task; I think Gillingham are one of the best teams in this league.

“Hopefully we’ll bring some points back for our travelling supporters but we’ll have to be at our best.”