We look forward to Saturday's League Two fixture
BURTON ALBION v GILLINGHAMnpower League Two
Saturday April 27 2013
Pirelli Stadium
Kick-off: 3.00pm
TEAM NEWS…
Gillingham boss Martin Allen announced his starting XI for the weekend game at the Pirelli Stadium earlier today with youngsters Mahlon Romeo, Sam Muggleton (below) and Harry Grant coming into the team.
Romeo (right-back), Muggleton (left-back) and midfielder Grant will join Tommy Forecast, Andy Frampton, Callum Davies, Steven Gregory, Charlie Allen, Bradley Dack, Adam Birchall and Myles Weston in the Champions line-up at Burton.
Albion captain Lee Bell was sent-off at Bradford City last weekend so will miss the Gills visit through suspension. Also ruled out is midfielder Jack Dyer who suffered an ankle ligament injury in the game at the Coral Windows Stadium.
THE SEASON SO FAR…
Going into the final game of the 2012-13 season Burton Albion are lying fifth in the League Two table having amassed 73 points (21 wins and 10 draws) from their 45 games.
They are firmly ensconced in a play-off spot but their hopes of automatic promotion were all but ended after losing 1-0 at fellow promotion-chasers Bradford City last Saturday who themselves have made a great late run to confirm a play-off berth. Due to their goal difference they are unlikely to reach third place but can still finish fourth depending on Cheltenham’s result.
Reviewing the loss at the Coral Windows Stadium in which skipper Lee Bell saw red just before the break just moments after Bantams James Hanson had notched the only goal, boss Gary Rowett felt his side had committed “football suicide”.
He said “We had an absolute crazy three minutes and two moments of madness cost us the game. Two moments of madness ruined a very good performance.
“We knew we wanted to stay in the game and the longer it stayed 0-0, the edgier they would have got.
“You can argue we’ve basically given them a goal out of nothing and then we’ve given them the extra man. So, we’ve committed football suicide, to coin a phrase, and that’s disappointing.
“I don’t mind if the opposition has beaten us manfully with a great goal, but we’ve beaten ourselves today and that’s disappointing.”
At the Pirelli Stadium this season the Brewers have won 16, drawn three and lost three, the only teams to have left with all three points previously are Aldershot Town, Chesterfield and Fleetwood Town.
LEADING SCORERS…
Having both scored against AFC Wimbledon to clinch the title last Saturday, strike duo Danny Kedwell and Deon Burton have now netted 16 and 13 goals respectively.
These two are followed by another attacking pair, Myles Weston and Chris Whelpdale, who have both scored seven.
For the Brewers it is midfielder Jacques Maghoma that leads the way with 17 goals and he is followed by strike duo Billy Kee and Calvin Zola who have scored 13 apiece.
Next come Matthew Paterson with seven goals, Zander Diamond (five), Lee Bell (four) and Michael Symes with three.
THE LAST TEN…
Over the course of the last ten League Two fixtures the Gills have collected 17 points (four wins and five draws) while opponents Burton have taken 14 (four wins and two draws).
Gills - WDDDWDWWLD
Brewers - LWWDLDLWWL
PREVIOUS MEETINGS…
Since Burton won promotion to the Football League at the end of the 2009-10 campaign, there have been five league encounters of which the Gills have won three and drawn one.
The first ever league meeting was here at Priestfield in September 2010 when Cody McDonald scored the only goal of the game five minutes into the second-half. The return six months later ended all-square at 1-1, on-loan Wolves striker Sam Winnall put Albion ahead in the first-half before McDonald replied with his ‘goal of the season’ 12 minutes from time.
Last season the Gills won 3-1 at home in September, Danny Kedwell scoring two and Frank Nouble the other while Billy Kee netted the Brewers consolation who had Aaron Webster and Ryan Austin dismissed. The game at the Pirelli ended in a 1-0 defeat where Matt Fish netted an own goal.
Earlier this season a crowd of 7,268 (including 58 from Burton) were at MEMS Priestfield Stadium to see a convincing performance end Gary Rowett’s side’s eight-game unbeaten run.
An outstanding Myles Weston terrorised the visiting defence and was recorded with a goal while the other three were decent strikes from defenders Tom Flanagan, Matt Fish and Joe Martin.
The teams back in October were -
Gills – Nelson, Fish, Martin, Payne (Dack H/T), Flanagan, Whelpdale, Kedwell (Strevens 66), Allen, Montrose, Weston (Findley 62), Barrett Unused subs: Frampton, Davies, Burton, Forecast
Albion – Tomlinson, Diamond, Weir, Zola (Richards 68), McCrory, Paterson (Kee 68), Maghoma (Taylor 77), O’Connor, Dyer, Bell, Kiernan Unused subs: Atkins, Corbett, Stanton
There was also an FA Cup Second Round tie between the two teams played here in November 2009 which was won by Curtis Weston’s 69th minute goal.
OFFICIALS…
Referee – Jeremy Simpson
Assistants – Paul Kettlewell & Iain Siddall
Fourth Official – Wayne Grunnill
The Lancashire official has not refereed a Gillingham game this season but he has previously been in charge of 25 games in which he has issued 81 yellow and five red cards.