Plummer has played for England Under-17s

Gillingham have signed Bristol City forward Tristan Plummer and Cardiff City defender Darren Dennehy on month-long loan deals.

Plummer, 19, has been on loan at Hereford United this season, where he scored four goals in seven starts.

Dennehy, 21, is a Republic of Ireland Under-21 international who served his apprenticeship with Everton.

Both are set to feature against Colchester, as is Peterborough striker Rene Howe, who joined on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old has signed on loan until the end of the season.

Howe is a player that Gillingham manager Mark Stimson came across a long time ago when he was a teenager at Kettering.

"I played against him when he was a 16 or 17-year-old," said Stimson. "He was one then who stood out because of his physical element at a young age so I've always monitored his progress."

He will hopefully add a little bit of stature Mark Stimson on Darren Dennehy

Plummer, who has represented England at Under-17 and 18 level, is right-footed but is comfortable on either the left or the right and the Gills boss thinks he will help provide the goals for his strikers.

"He's lively, he wants to get beyond people," said Stimson. "Hopefully he'll create chances for Jackson and now Rene Howe."

Meantime Stimson thinks Dennehy will add the presence that has been missing since the injury to last year's player of the season, Simon King.

He said: "He will hopefully add a little bit of stature. He's left footed and hopefully goes into the team on Saturday against a big Colchester side who do play a certain style that has brought them success this season."

Stimson admitted the side needed refreshing following their FA Cup exit at Accrington Stanley.

The defeat means the Gills are still without a win away from home all season.

"We've been working on a couple of things over the weekend," Stimson told BBC Radio Kent.

"It's just come into play this morning so that'll add a little bit more to the squad, I think that's needed and those three players now will hopefully be involved on Saturday."

Plummer, 19, has recently returned to Bristol City from a loan spell at Hereford and told BBC Radio Kent: "I'm happy to be coming down here, I just need to play some games. The manager at Bristol City said I need games, it's my last year there. I played seven games at Hereford and scored four goals so I did alright but it didn't get renewed."

While Plummer played as a striker at Hereford it is as a winger he has been signed by Stimson.

"I want to provide goals for the team. I just want to get the team away from the relegation zone, I'm happy left and right, happy on either flank," said Plummer.

Dennehy, a Republic of Ireland under 21 international, is expected to come straight into the heart of the defence following the recent injury to loanee Matt Fry.

He said: "He's given me the opportunity to play some games at league level. I've been at Hereford for five months on loan, it went well, I enjoyed it and the football was good as well."

The pair join up with Rene Howe, who sees his spell on loan at Priestfield as a route out of an unhappy spell with Peterborough.

He told BBC Radio Kent: "I want to be where I am wanted. I need to play, I want to do well for this club and if I do that I'm doing well for myself."

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