We look ahead to Saturday's encounter
OXFORD UNITED v GILLINGHAMnpower League Two
Kassam Stadium
Saturday October 6 2012
Kick-off: 3.00pm
TEAM NEWS
Danny Jackman and Charlie Allen are both suspended for Saturday’s trip while Charlie Lee is still not ready yet. However Bradley Dack comes back into contention following his own three game ban.
Oxford lost three players through injury during their midweek victory with goalkeeper Wayne Brown, Michael Raynes and Lee Cox all limping off. They already had Jon-Paul Pittman (hamstring), Michael Duberry (neck), Liam Davis and Andy Whing (both groin) and Adam Chapman sidelined.
COLOURS
United will be wearing all yellow while the Gills will wear their home kit of red shirts with blue sleeves, white shorts and blue socks.
TICKETS
Tickets are available on the day from Oxford, cash ONLY, from the North Stand ticket office adjacent to the visitor’s turnstiles.
N.B - Prices do increase on matchday, and are as follows:
Adult - £21.50
Student - £17.50
Senior Citizen/Under 16 - £12.50
Under 7 - Free
Tickets are still available in advance at the pre-match rate, from the GFC Ticket Office, up until 3pm on Friday
IN MIDWEEK
While the Gills were extending their winning run to five successive away league games, 2-1 at Northampton thanks to goals from Deon Burton and Jack Payne, the U’s beat AFC Wimbledon at home 3-2.
In a see-saw battle Jake Forster-Caskey, Deane Smalley and Alfie Potter were on target for Chris Wilder’s team in what was their first victory since August.
The victory means Oxford now lie 16th in the table having picked up 12 points (four wins) from their opening 10 League Two fixtures.
LEADING SCORERS
Danny Kedwell of course leads the way for the Gills with nine goals and he is followed by Deon Burton with four.
Leading the U’s goalscoring chart at present is Alfie Potter with four goals while both Jake Forster-Caskey and Deane Smalley have three to their name and former Middlesbrough and Luton Town striker Tom Craddock has netted two.
THE LAST TIME
Back in April Gillingham travelled to the Kassam Stadium for a must-win game with their fellow play-off contenders, the hopes of both hanging in the balance.
The crowd of 7,322 including 641 Gills supporters saw a nervy encounter in which both sides could have claimed the points but in the end the game ended goalless.
Clear cut chances were few and far between throughout, Chris Whelpdale and Jo Kuffour going closest for the visitors while at the other end Paulo Gazzaniga, a great save, and Matt Fish, heading off the line, both denied Asa Hall.
So the point gained meant that Andy Hessenthaler’s team would need to win all three of their remaining fixtures to have any chance of creeping into the top seven.
Oxford: Brown, Batt, Duberry, Wright, Chapman (Constable 71), Hall, Whing, Morgan (Tonkin 84), Rendell, Davis, Montano (Johnson 61) Unused subs: Wilson, Crocombe
Gills: Gazzaniga, Fish, Frampton, Essam, Martin, Whelpdale, Montrose, Tomlin (Spiller 16 (O Lee 90)), Kuffour, Kedwell, Vine (Oli 75) Unused subs: King, Evans
OFFICIALS
Referee: Iain Williamson
Assistant referee’s: Wes Linden & John Magill
Fourth Official: Dean Treleaven
The Berkshire referee has previously been in charge of 11 Gillingham games, both home and away, dating back to his first, a 1-0 victory over Watford here at Priestfield on Boxing Day 2003.
Iain was in charge of the amazing 7-4 defeat at Accrington Stanley in October 2010 and was most recently here for the Easter Monday reverse against Dagenham & Redbridge.
He has officiated in six games so far this season, including Tuesday night’s encounter between Swindon Town and Colchester United, and has issued two red and 21 yellow cards.