Match Previews

Preview | Fleetwood Town v Gillingham

19th December

Fleetwood Town v Gillingham

Sky Bet League Two

Highbury Stadium

Saturday December 20, 2025

Kick-Off, 3pm

Team News:

Nelson Khumbeni will miss Saturday’s fixture due to the shoulder injury that forced him off during the draw with Barrow. The trip to Fleetwood comes too soon for Glenn Morris, as he continues to recover from injury.

Conor Masterson, Euan Williams, Josh Andrews, Sam Vokes and Marcus Wyllie all trained in the build-up to the game and could be involved.

Fleetwood’s Jordan Davies made his return in the win against Newport County and is expected to be involved for Saturday’s fixture. James Norwood is expected to miss a sustained period of time due to ligament damage to his ankle.

James Bolton will be a doubt for the fixture, while Pete Wild will be without Harrison Holgate as he continues his recovery from a hamstring problem. However, Liam Roberts could be available for selection, as he made his return to the training pitch.

Manager Comments:

Pete Wild- “They’ve got top players and a top manager and they’ll be right up there come the end of the season. It’s another tough encounter against a team challenging in the same pack as us.

“They’ll be physical and they’ll try to put us under pressure by loading the box. We understand how to deal with that and how to make it about us. Our energy and spirit at Highbury has been excellent this season and we need to make sure that continues.”

Gareth Ainsworth - “It is a long trip up to the north-west, which is my neck of the woods, and I know that it is going to be a trek with it being the Friday before Christmas. We are setting off early, and we are going to make provisions where we aren’t going to be sat on a bus all day, because it could be a bit chaotic. We will get up there early.

“We have done a lot of the prep this week now. We are confident that we can take a team up there that is going to bring back the points. That’s where we are.”

Previous Meetings:

Saturday’s fixture will be the 20th meeting between the two Football Clubs. Fleetwood leads the head-to-head with nine wins, and the next most common result has been the draw, occurring on six occasions. Gills have beaten Saturday’s opponents four times.

Gills travelled to Highbury Stadium in mid-December 2019, where the points were shared. Following a goalless first half, the hosts took the lead ten minutes into the second-half. Having won possession inside the Gillingham penalty area due to a defensive mistake, the ball ended up with Josh Morris, who sent a low drive towards the six-yard box, allowing Paddy Madden to thump home.

The visitors levelled the score with eight minutes remaining. Alex Jakubiak received the ball on the left corner of the box, and set himself before directing a shot into the far corner of the net, leaving Billy Crellin with no chance. Fleetwood nearly found a late winner, but Gills hung on for a 1-1 draw.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo0pf0yTwAU&t=4s

Tickets:

We have been allocated 350 tickets for our trip to Highbury Stadium. 200 of these are seated tickets, which are situated in the Parkside Stand, while another 150 will be terrace tickets in the Percy Ronson Stand.