Richard Money seems bent on making himself unpopular with the press, in that he certainly likes keeping his cards close to his chest.

Just a couple of days after saying there’d be no signings before the deadline, he’s gone out this afternoon and signed up Joao Batista Mawete (otherwise known as “Mawete Junior” in Portugal and at International level).

The former Benfica striker has been given a four month contract to prove himself, having made his debut for the Portuguese giants at the age of 18 and gaining caps for Angola at under 21, under 23 and full International level.

He left Benfica for Sporting Braga and had dropped off the radar a little of late, but was very highly rated as a 21 year old.

The Priestfield Stadium is where it all started, really. There we were, having struggled badly through the end of the previous season, finishing in a very lowly position, a new team hastily assembled team of journeymen and has beens (and the odd foreign import), managed by an unknown with no record in management at all. No wonder the papers and the bookies had us as favourites to go down that season. Trouble is, the Manager was Ray Graydon, we won 1 – 0 that day and the rest is history. Nothing has ever been boring about Walsall football club since.

Richard Money’s dilemma tomorrow is going to be finding a system that will give us goals. We didn’t play well against Swansea last week, but didn’t play that badly either, and certainly had the chances to have drawn, or even won the game. Trouble is, we didn’t look like taking them.

Hopefully Tommy Mooney will have recovered and passed his fitness test today, but we have an otherwise clean bill of health, with Gerrard in for the suspended Roper the only major change. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a 4 5 1 even if Mooney is fit, however, with Wrack or Demontagnac in the “hole”.

The likely line up is:

Ince, Weston, Gerrard, Dann, Boertien, Hall, Dobson, Sonner, Wrack, Demontagnac, Butler.

Manny Smith might well come in as cover on the bench, or he could take the risk of using Bradley, who can play centre half, as well as midfield. The usual suspects of Bossu, Sonko, Caneiro plus Mooney are likely to make up most of the bench.

Ronnie Jepson, the Gillingham Manager, will be without Efe Sodje, who is suspended. He also has some key players waiting for fitness tests in central defender Simon King (hamstring), defender Aaron Brown (leg), striker David Graham (leg) and striker Gary Mulligan (ankle).

Predictions?

We may have had a bad start to the season, but be glad you’re not a Gills fan. Three League games played, three lost (one to very unfancied Cheltenham) and only one goal scored, in a 3 – 1 defeat at Luton.

On that record, we aren’t going to get many better chances to get off the mark than tomorrow and I fancy us to sneak a win.

The fixture computer has kindly handed us a trip to the garden of England in late summer. Unfortunately Gillingham is that bit of overgrown hard-standing behind the potting shed.

However, a warm welcome can generally be found amongst the diminutive terraced houses, and none more so than the Will Adams public house tucked away down Saxton Street just off the High Street, where the excellent welcoming atmosphere is matched by the standard of beverage and cheap bar menu.

There are several pubs within a few minutes walk of the ground, with The Livingstone Arms standing out as the away pub of choice. Although often extremely busy the bar-staff remain switched on with service of somewhat more basic brews and sandwiches, not to mention free snacks!. The Livingstone also has the advantage of being adjacent to away end, bookies, and a decent chippy.

For those arriving by train the Britannia offers an immediate if basic opportunity for sustenance and is ok for a swifty in preference to the other pubs at that end of The High St.

If nothing has changed since our last visit then beer is one of many things unavailable to away fans parting with 20 match-day pounds to enter the stadium, the others being a roof or even a stand worthy of the name, or decent toilet facilities. It seems strange that visiting supporters at Priestfield have to put up with these “facilities” year after year considering how well equipped and under-populated the rest of the ground can be.

I once accompanied a disabled supporter in the Medway stand and the facilities were first class, and for run of the mill games like ours I just don’t see why away fans can’t be given a couple of blocks elsewhere ala Rochdale, Orient, Carlisle, Stockport etc.

Shame on you GFC.