Gills return home for the visit of high-flying Wigan in League 1 looking to record back-to-back victories.
Gillingham v Wigan Athletic
Sky Bet League One
MEMS Priestfield Stadium
Saturday October 2nd
Kick-Off, 3pm
Team News:
Steve Evans will be hoping to have Stuart O’Keefe available for selection after he missed the win over Cambridge on Tuesday night due to a shoulder problem. Vadaine Oliver is a doubt after coming off midweek due to a rib injury. Jack Tucker will come back into the squad, having served his one-game suspension.
Mustapha Carayol could be fit for the bench, having missed the last three games through injury. Daniel Phillips and Ryan Jackson are both set to miss out.
Wigan have no fresh injury or suspension concerns ahead of the game, with former Sunderland duo Max Power and Charlie Wyke likely to feature.
Manager Comments:
Steve Evans - “I had a little look at their starting line-up when sat relaxing before our game and then I had a look at the bench and every one of those players on the bench could play in the Championship tomorrow. That tells you something.
“It is really difficult for us when we come up against these teams but our season will not be defined by how we get on against the likes of Sunderland or Wigan, or even Ipswich, or the other big-spending clubs.”
Leam Richardson - "A lot of people know that we have come a long way, quickly.
“They [the players] are disappointed that they are losing to Sheffield Wednesday who have just been relegated from the Championship. If they are disappointed with that result on the back of that performance we should be okay."
Recent Form:
Gillingham - WDDLD
Gills got their first league away win and first league clean sheet against Cambridge on Tuesday. Vadaine Oliver put Steve Evans’ side in front during the first half as he latched onto John Akinde’s flick-on and then slotted underneath Dimitar Mitov.
Danny Lloyd doubled the lead in the second half with a great individual strike. He intercepted a pass inside the Gills half before running into the Cambridge penalty area. Lloyd tried his luck from a tight angle and found the back of the net as his shot rifled beyond Mitov.
That result moved Gillingham up to 18th in the League One table with 11 points from their first ten games.
Wigan Athletic - LWLWW
The Latics come into this fixture sitting in second place in the League One table. However, they suffered their second league defeat of the campaign in midweek against Sheffield Wednesday.
An own goal from Max Power and a finish from Callum Patterson put The Owls two goals to the good at the DW Stadium. Charlie Wyke pulled one back from the penalty spot, but it proved to only be a consolation as Wednesday hung on for all three points.
Before that defeat on Tuesday night, Wigan were on a five-game winning run. That run of victories saw them topple: Charlton, Portsmouth, Doncaster, Accrington Stanley and Cheltenham Town before being stopped by Sheffield Wednesday. Leam Richardson’s side has accumulated 19 points from their first nine games.
Previous Meetings:
The game at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium between the two sides last season saw the Gills come out on top. Vadaine Oliver’s header from a pin-point Ryan Jackson cross with just 15 minutes remaining proved to be the winner as Steve Evans’ side won 1-0.
A memorable Gills win over Wigan came during the club’s last season in the Championship. Darius Henderson scored a second-half brace in the game as he found the back of the net on either side of a Nathan Ellington goal. Wigan would be promoted to the Premier League that season, coming second in the league.
Ticket Information:
TICKETS FOR SATURDAY’S GAME ARE AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE HERE
We would advise allowing an extra five or ten minutes to get into the ground just in the event there are issues with scanning ticket codes.
Odds:
Gillingham win - 16/5
Draw - 5/2
Wigan Athletic win - 4/5
Special Bet: Alex MacDonald to score first and Gillingham to win 2-1 - 130/1.
Match Officials:
Referee - Neil Hair
Assistants - Darren Blunden and Andrew Bennett
Fourth Official - Andrew Aylott