Gillingham are back in League Two action this Saturday as they welcome play-off chasing Grimsby Town to the MEMS Priestfield Stadium.
The Gills have only managed one win from their last nine matches, with Tuesday evening’s result a frustrating 2-1 loss away to Cheltenham.
Gillingham were ahead at half-time thanks to a smart finish from Ronan Hale, but they were wasteful in front of goal with several shots fired too close to goalkeeper Joe Day. In the second half, Cheltenham equalised with a header from Isaac Hutchinson before substitute Mo Faal completed the turnaround with an emphatic injury-time finish.
The loss means Gillingham move remain 17th in the table with 50 points. Grimsby, meanwhile, are eighth, four points away from the playoff places with a game in hand.
Grimsby have had a turbulent season so far. They had a good start with three wins from their first four fixtures and remained in the promotion or playoff places until November. They then had a period when they lost six from ten matches, which pushed them down to 16th by late December. However, they followed this with five straight wins and have kept relatively consistent since them to keep them in the playoff hunt.
In their last fixture, Grimsby lost 2-1 away at Chesterfield, who currently occupy the bottom playoff spot. Chesterfield scored twice in the first half before Grimsby’s Jaze Kabia pulled one back. The real drama happened deep into additional time when Grimsby had a penalty saved with the last kick of the game, which meant they conceded ground against their nearest playoff rivals.
Gillingham and Grimsby have played each other on 43 occasions, with Gillingham winning 12 and Grimsby 19. In the reverse fixture in October, Grimsby won 1-0 with a second half penalty, while Remeao Hutton and Jonny Williams were both sent off for the away side.
Gillingham’s players have nothing left to play for this season, aside from pride and future contracts, so the odds are certainly in Grimsby’s favour as they are chasing down a playoff spot. Whatever the result, Gareth Ainsworth will want to see his side being more clinical in front of goal than they were on Tuesday night.
Picture supplied by Gillingham Football Club.