Friday 27 January 2012 15:32, UK
Gillingham will step up their efforts to sign Jo Kuffour, with Danny Kedwell facing a spell out with a suspected fractured rib.
Kedwell, Gills' top scorer this season, took his tally to 11 goals with the opener in Saturday's eventual 3-1 FA Cup defeat to Stoke before being forced off in the second half. Manager Andy Hessenthaler has admitted his desire to secure the permanent capture of Kuffour after he returned to parent club Bristol Rovers at the start of the year having bagged seven goals in a three-month loan stay at Priestfield. Hessenthaler does not now if a managerial change at the Memorial Stadium will affect the chances of a deal after Paul Buckle was given the boot by the Pirates, but remains hopeful of bringing Kuffour to Kent. "Jo Kuffour is the name we'd like to have done (before the Stoke game) but it wouldn't have happened because he has bronchitis, he is still Bristol Rovers' player," Hessenthaler said. "Now that Kedwell is probably missing, the chairman and I have a bit of work to do over the next couple of days to maybe bring in some new faces. "I have pretty much said I want him (Kuffour) to come to the club. If we can do a deal with Bristol Rovers then great. They have lost their manager and I don't know if that will change the situation. We want Jo to come and if we can bring another body in that would be nice."
