Gillingham's Obiero Ruled Out After Nightmare Debut

Gillingham’s bright start at Rochdale came with a brutal cost. Fifteen minutes into his debut, Zech Obiero pulled up – and now the on-loan Leyton Orient midfielder is facing “a month or two” on the sidelines with damage to both hamstrings.

Manager Gareth Ainsworth confirmed the extent of the blow after the 4-1 League Two win, a result that had promised to launch Obiero’s spell in Kent on a high. Instead, it has stalled almost before it began.

“A sustained period on the touchline,” was Ainsworth’s verdict on BBC Radio Kent. “Terrible for him to start his Gillingham career that way, but it’s football.”

The 21-year-old had trained just once with his new team before being thrown into the starting XI. The excitement lasted barely a quarter of an hour.

Yet Ainsworth’s faith in the youngster has not dimmed. “I’d sign him again tomorrow. I know exactly what he brings us,” he said. “He’s a strong boy and he’ll come back stronger than ever. We’ll have to do without him, and the boys have adapted really well with that.”

Obiero’s setback continues a grim early-season theme for the Gills. He is already the third serious casualty in the opening month.

Captain and centre-back Liam Gordon suffered a knee injury on his debut on the first day of the campaign. Then came the hammer blow for 33-year-old winger Kadeem Harris, who ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament in the 0-0 draw at Fleetwood.

Now Obiero joins an already crowded treatment room.

“It’s unbelievable, and we’ve had some freakishly ridiculous injuries,” Ainsworth said. “It’s unfortunate, but it does come in threes. Hopefully that’s the end of it.”

The run of problems has inevitably raised questions about workload and training methods, but Ainsworth batted that away with a flash of frustration and humour. “People can talk about the way we train. He only trained one day, Zech! So if that’s done him in, I’m going to leave this industry.”

Gillingham have started the season playing on the front foot. To keep that edge without their captain, their senior winger and a dynamic young midfielder will test both the depth and the resolve of Ainsworth’s squad.

The injuries have come in threes. Gillingham can’t afford to let the setbacks do the same to their season.