Gillingham are back in League Two action this Saturday as they welcome Tranmere Rovers to the MEMS Priestfield Stadium.

Gillingham will be looking to bounce back from their 1-0 loss away at Notts County in a game where Gareth Ainsworth stated he couldn’t believe the Gills weren’t able to get at least a point from.

Gillingham conceded in the first half courtesy of some poor defending following a set-piece but rallied in the second half to create a lot of good chances to score. However, with some poor shot placement and several good saves from the Notts County keeper, the Gills simply couldn’t find the back of the net.

Gillingham currently sit 14^th in the table, eleven points away from the playoff places, but they have at least one game in hand over several teams currently above them.

Tranmere are currently 17^th on 32 points, 12 ahead of the relegation zone, but their recent form has been poor, losing their last five games.

They had a good start to the season with two wins and two draws in the opening four fixtures, but this was short-lived as they lost three of the next four. They have picked up some good wins across the season, but the most recent five losses have put them under some pressure.

In Saturday’s match at home to in-form Salford City, Tranmere kept the game tight in the first half, which ended 0-0. However, second half goals from Jorge Grant and Kelly N’Mai secured the points for the away side.

Gillingham and Tranmere Rovers have played each other on 42 occasions, with Gillingham winning 9 and Tranmere 15. They last faced each other at Priestfield this season on 16th August, which ended 1-1 with Gillingham’s Joe Gbode equalising in the 92^nd minute from a scrappy corner.

The Gillingham squad has no new injuries. Ainsworth has said Conor Masterson’s knock will need to be monitored and he will be missing for at least a couple of weeks, but the experience and leadership of Omar Beckles will add strength to the defensive line.

With 18 games left and the playoffs just about in reach, Gillingham need to pick up some wins. The second half performance against Notts County was encouraging, despite the lack of goals, and Tranmere are the sort of team they should be beating.

The fans will be keen to see a confident Gillingham side and, hopefully, a comfortable win.

Picture supplied by Gillingham Football Club.