GILLINGHAM chairman Paul Scally has ruled out former boss Andy Hessenthaler as a candidate to succeed Stan Ternent at Priestfield.

Ternent left the club on Sunday after failing to agree terms on a new contract, but Mr Scally was swift to rubbish rumours that Hessenthaler could be set for a dramatic return to the hotseat.

But several names that were in the frame in December when Ternent was appointed, such as Steve McMahon and Dave Bassett, could be back in contention again.

Assistant manager Ronnie Jepson, who joined the club at the same time as Ternent, is thought to be a leading contender for the top job.

Mr Scally said: "Ronnie has impressed me with his work since he joined us. I will be talking with him over the next few days."

What is certain is that the Gills need a new manager in place sooner rather than later because the situation with players' contracts has already seen Nyron Nosworthy and John Hills exit the club.

The chairman says he expects the new man to be appointed by Friday.

He said: "Once I’ve got a manager, who will be in place by next Friday if not earlier, he will decide on who we retain.

"If only the supporters could have seen how down they were and how desperately difficult it was for the players. These guys care a lot. Even though some of them won’t be here next year, they were all disappointed."

Mr Scally was left counting the cost of relegation, which he puts at around £700,000, a figure only marginally helped by a one-off parachute payment of £100,000.

He remains positive though, having got over the initial shock of the drop.

He said: "Now I’m optimistic. It’s not nice and I take it personally, as only I could. I’m still immensely proud of how far we have come. It’s a setback but it doesn’t stop our overall ambitions."

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