PRIESTFIELD Stadium will be at be at full capacity for the Gills sell-out clash with West Ham on Saturday.

It emerged last week that the stadium had been operating at 90 per cent capacity since the beginning of the season after Medway Council

imposed restrictions. The council said it had concerns about safety management at the club.

But yesterday the council announced it was allowing 100 per cent capacity for the lucrative fixture after the club agreed to change key personnel for the game.

However, in what will be a continuing financial blow for the club, the council is insisting that the 90 per cent capacity ruling remains in place for all other matches until it is “completely satisfied that Gillingham is meeting all health and safety requirements".

Gavin Wilders, the council’s head of environmental health, said: ”We have had discussions with both the Football Licensing Authority and Gillingham Football Club.

“The club has assured us that it will take steps to ensure that personnel who meet the statutory criteria are in place for the West Ham game.

“This meets our health and safety requirements and as such for this particular game we will be allowing 100 per cent capacity at the ground.”

The 10 per cent reduction cuts Priestfield’s current 11,200 capacity by 1,120 seats.

Gills chairman Paul Scally said last week he had thought the restrictions were only in force for the first two games of the season but had only recently discovered they were in place indefinitely.

He estimated the restrictions could cost the club £20,000-£25,000 for every sell-out home game.

* The last time Gills and West Ham met in a competitive fixture was in the 1914-15 season in the Southern League Division One. Gills won 4-0.