Gills are back at MEMS Priestfield Stadium on Saturday (3pm) looking for their first win of the season.
GILLINGHAM V BRADFORD
Sky Bet League 1
MEMS Priestfield Stadium
Saturday August 12
Kick-off, 3pm
Team News:
Billy Bingham (foot) and Alex Lacey (knee) will be assessed after training on Friday and early again on Saturday morning before it is decided whether they can play.
Luke O’Neill received a knock on Tuesday evening but should recover while Lee Martin (knee) is also due to feature having received stitches after last weekend’s game at Doncaster.
Mark Byrne and Gabriel Zakuani will be looking to return to the starting XI; Byrne was an unsued substitute midweek while the centre-back was rested.
Gills fans won’t see former loanee Romain Vincelot as he is suspended for three games after receiving a straight red card in the club’s Carabao Cup tie against Doncaster.
Nor will the crowd be able to welcome back Adam Chicksen, he enjoyed two loan spells at Priestfield but is currently recovering from a fractured cheekbone. Charlie Wyke (ankle) will also be missing.
Management Comments:
Steve Lovell – “It will be nice to come home and play in front of our own supporters. Everybody has worked so hard and the fans have been great.
“Bradford will be one of the favourites [for promotion] but it’s important for us to get off to a good start at home.”
Stuart McCall – “You’d expect the home team to be on the front foot in front of their own fans and have a go.
“But we’re hoping we can do what teams have been doing to us and counter-attack and use the space with the pace we’ve got. We’ve got to assert our authority.”
We’ve met before:
The teams have met on 49 occasions with the Gills edging the head-to-head statistics with 22 wins to their name while Bradford have 12.
Surprisingly the Bantams have only won one of the last 13 matches between the two teams, four of the last seven resulting in a draw.
Two of those occurred last season with a 1-1 scoreline being played out at MEMS Priestfield Stadium with Gills having to play the closing stages with ten men as Ryan Jackson was sent off. Cody McDonald had put the hosts ahead only for Jordy Hiwula-Mayifuila to equalise on 29 minutes.
In the reverse fixture at Valley Parade it finished 2-2 with Josh Wright and Deji Oshilaja on target for the Gills.
Odds:
Gills - 14/5
Draw - 12/5
Bradford - Evens
All match markets, courtesy of Sky Bet, can be found here.
Officials:
Referee - John Busby
Assistant Referee 1 - Carl Fitch-Jackson
Assistant Referee 2 - Samuel Lewis
Fourth Official - Nicholas Cooper
Tickets:
Fans can purchase on the day, however there is a £2 increase on all advance prices.
You can still book online via our ticketing website; these can be collected at the designated points at MEMS Priestfield Stadium.