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Ahead of this afternoon's clash with Wimbledon, here are the best bits from Ian Evatt's press conference.
How is the squad shaping up ahead of Saturday’s clash with Wimbledon?
“Kieran (Lee) has had a scan. The scan has revealed no further damage to the Achilles, which is good news. It’s just really this heel spur which is causing a problem.
“He’s seeing a specialist today as to whether we can get him through to the summer with some pain management. If we can’t, the operation will have to take place now."
“It's great to have Lloyd (Isgrove) back out on the grass. He’s a great character and he’s been a big player for us.
“Same for Kacha (Elias Kachunga) really. I’m excited to have them both back involved and back in the squad.
“They’re still a few weeks away from being available for selection but it’s great to see them back out on the grass and in touch with the rest of the lads at the moment.
“When they’re back in the squad, it’s going to get harder and harder for me.”
What are you expecting from Wimbledon?
“The conditions should suit us more. We tend to replace our divots here, which is nice!
“It was difficult on Tuesday night but we have to park it and move on. It wasn’t a reflection of where we are at the moment so I am looking forward to Saturday.
“They have got talented young players. It was an excellent game down there earlier in the season and one we probably should have won, but it was a good advert for League One football.
“It will be a test, a challenge – all these games are. It’s not easy to win games consistently at this level.
“But it’s not really about them – it’s about what we do and how we play. If we can play to our levels, I’m more than confident we can get the right result.”
How big are these next two home games?
“We have spoken to the players and set ourselves a target for the end of the season, where we want to be. The target hasn’t changed after Tuesday, it has obviously been made more difficult, though.
“The margin for error is smaller now so we have to make sure we win the next two home games and then take it from there.
“I’d still say things are going more than reasonably well. We just have to park Tuesday. Everything that could go wrong that day did go wrong.
“Six minutes of set pieces madness cost us the game. Awful conditions, an awful pitch, just things didn’t go well for us and I don’t think it’s a reflection on where we’re at as a team.
“I think that is something that’s happened in isolation, so we’ll move on from it really quickly.”
How tough has it been for Kieran Lee while playing through an injury?
“He's had this for months now, for three months, and it’s got progressively harder to deal with.
“But what I will say is, the softer the ground, the more pressure goes through that heel and the harder it is for the Achilles to cope.
“We’re hopeful that there is some pain controlling methods that we can use but until we speak to the specialist, we don’t know.
“We’re going to literally leave it in the specialist’s hands – he knows best. And it’s a question of if he can get through to the summer.
“If he can, great. If he can’t, we’ll have to just move on without him. Fortunately for us, we have some players who can take his place.”
Kieran Sadlier and Kyle Dempsey both started at Burton. How are they settling in?
“They are just coming into a team doing brand new things that neither of them are used to doing.
“The last time I saw Steve Evans’ Gillingham team they didn’t really play with the tactical detail that we do, and that is no disrespect meant.
“Rotherham have had a lot of success but they play a completely opposite way to the way we do, so it might take a bit of time.
“We saw flashes from Kieran on Tuesday night and I thought Kyle played really well, his energy really helped us second half.”
Have you been impressed with how Ricardo Santos and Gethin Jones have handled their leadership roles?
“I think they’re stepping into the roles really well. I’m really pleased with the dynamic of the group at the minute. And that hasn’t always been the case.
“I am pleased with the way they are policing themselves and holding each other accountable in the right manner.
“Without me even saying anything at half-time on Tuesday, things were being said that I haven’t noticed before – holding each other accountable, being annoyed with how we have started games.
“That was probably the most pleasing thing with Tuesday – we saw the players’ reaction before we even had chance to speak. Before it’s been myself, Pete (Atherton), Sam (Hird) and Matt Gilks having to drive that and drive standards. Now they’re driving themselves which can only bode well for us moving forwards.”
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