Gillingham look to return to winning ways this Saturday as they welcome Oldham Athletic to the MEMS Priestfield Stadium.
Gillingham have had a bruising week with two 0-1 away losses over the past week and find themselves drifting away from the playoff places.
Tuesday’s loss at Chesterfield encapsulated Gillingham’s recent form. The Gills looked great in the opening of the first half, comfortably the more threatening of the two sides, but conceded a goal from a poorly-defended set piece against the run of play.
Gillingham currently sit 14th in the table, 11 points away from the playoff places, but with one game in hand over many of the teams currently above them.
Oldham are currently 16th on 39 points, two below Gillingham, but with a game in hand over the Kent side.
Oldham have had a solid season in League Two this year, largely occupying the bottom half of the table, but never really in genuine danger of being relegated. Their three consecutive wins in September elevated them to 11th in the table, as their best position all season, but the three losses in the last five games has made them unlikely to challenge the playoff places.
That said, they enjoyed a good 2-0 win at home to Bristol Rovers on Tuesday. Kane Drummond scored with 35 seconds on the clock before Mike Fondop secured the points with a rebound strike after a saved penalty in the second half.
Gillingham and Oldham have played each other on 50 occasions, with Gillingham winning 18 and Oldham 24. In the reverse fixture earlier in the season, Gillingham took all three points in a tough game when, against the run of play, Sam Vokes headed home the only goal of the game from a Max Clark corner.
The Gillingham squad has no new injuries from Saturday’s fixture. Having played twice this week and rotated four players into the starting lineup on Tuesday, it’s hard to predict who will be selected on Saturday.
It now seems unlikely that Gillingham will reach the playoffs with an eleven-point deficit and 15 games to go. Numerically – assuming 70 points gets them 7th as was the case for the last two seasons – the Gills will need at least 8 wins from these games plus some draws to pick up around 30 points that would put them in the mix. It is mathematically possible but, given their recent form of four losses from five, it seems unlikely.
Gillingham need to get the magic happening at Priestfield this Saturday to get the fans believing again.
Image courtesy of Gillingham FC