By Luke Cawdell

Injuries are threatening to derail manager Mark Stimson’s preparations for Gillingham's League 1 campaign.

Dennis Oli limped out of Saturday’s match in Calais early on with knee ligament damage following an untidy challenge from Maurice Sankhare and he joins midfielders Stuart Lewis and Adam Miller on the sidelines.

Stimson, pictured, said: "That’s three players who would probably be in the starting 18 this year at least and possibly two of them in the starting 11, so they are not good injuries to pick up.

"But you can’t sit and moan and whinge though, you have to get on with it."

Oli left the Stade De L’Epopee with his knee strapped up and hopes of him starting the season look slim.

Miller and Lewis both suffered ankle ligament damage in last week’s victory against Bishop’s Stortford and both are also doubtful for the League 1 season opener against Swindon on August 8.

Stimson said: "Adam is a player who will play through pain, sometimes it doesn’t do you good, but the way he is, he wants to play.

"With Stuart Lewis there is ligament damage and it’s still swollen so we won’t be able to assess that until the swelling goes down.

"I would be surprised if he makes it for the start of the season."