We look ahead to Sunday's fixture at Sixfields
COVENTRY CITY V GILLINGHAMSkyBET League One
Sixfields Stadium
Sunday September 15
Kick-Off, 3pm
Team News:
Charlie Lee will serve his mandatory one match ban following his dismissal at Crawley last weekend, but Michael Harriman has returned from International duty to fill the right-back position.
A question mark surrounds whether Leon Legge will be fit after being substituted shortly after scoring the Gills second goal against the Red Devils with a back problem.
Martin rated his condition as `doubtful`, but the extra day of preparation may be enough to see him partner Adam Barrett in defence.
Meanwhile Cody McDonald has recovered from the illness that stopped him from being part of Saturday’s starting 11 just an hour before kick-off, and the Manager hinted he could `lead the line` against his former club.
Coventry Manager Steven Pressley however has a fully fit squad to choose from ahead of the Gills visit to Sixfields and could name an unchanged line-up from the side that defeated Colchester 2-0 last weekend.
Callum Wilson grabbed a goal either side of half time as the Sky Blues chalked off their 10 point deduction imposed on them before the start of the season.
Manager/Player Interviews:
Martin said in his pre-match press conference that his side will need to give everything they can to get a result from Sixfields, and was at the stadium last week to see the opposition for himself.
He said: “I went and watched them against Colchester on Sunday and they were absolutely outstanding from the first minute until the 87th, when I left!
“We are up against a good team, make no doubt about that. We need to get and show resolve, determination, unity and make sure everyone is ready for, what is, a tough game.
“I want our players to get out and give our supporters a proper performance and put on a show."
Joe Martin added: “They have some good players and have had a 10 point deduction and made it up quite quickly. We can beat anyone in this league though so it will be interesting.
“There are no easy games in this league but we have had particularly hard fixtures up until this point and Coventry will be another one.
“We have played well in the games but the results are not going our way so we need to find a way of turning them around, which we will do. It’s just a matter of time."
Coventry Captain Adam Baker said the attitude of the players has been spot on for the first few games and this is having a positive effect on everyone at the club.
He said: "The team want to be out there, looking to get better all the time and keep practicing. That is where the new culture at the club has come through.
"This is the sort of attitude we need here at the football club and when a couple of players stay out after to do a bit more, it rubs off on everyone else.
"It is always great to see when we finish training, the lads want to stay behind and do more. The sessions from the gaffer and Neil (MacFarlane) have been fantastic and it is fun to be playing at the club at the moment.
"A lot of hard work goes into every session and we’ve just got to keep doing that."
Finally Steven Pressley, who took over the team in early March, has said he isn’t getting carried away with his team’s good start and is looking for more from his players.
He said: “We are playing some terrific football, the players are very much together and the work ethic of the group is phenomenal and all of the things I preach the players are carrying out.
“They deserve huge credit for that considering the circumstances that have faced us this season. One step at a time, we are off the bottom and we have to show we can maintain the consistency.
“We have some excellent senior players who have been pivotal to what we are trying to create. There is still more to come from the group.”
League One Fixtures:
Bradford v Colchester
Bristol City v Peterborough
Carlisle v Sheffield United
Crawley v Shrewsbury
Crewe Alexandra v Walsall
Leyton Orient v Port Vale
MK Dons v Notts County
Preston v Stevenage
Rotherham v Oldham
Tranmere v Brentford
Wolves v Swindon
Previous Meetings:
The two clubs haven’t met since December 28 2004 when the Gills came away from MEMS Priestfield Stadium with a 3-1 win thanks to a brace from Ian Cox and a solitary strike from Darren Byfield.
However Coventry have by far the better record over the years, having won 22 of the 45 games between the clubs. The Gills have 13 victories to their name, with the other 10 resulting in a draw.
Current Form:
Coventry: WWDDW (11 points)
Gills: LDDDL (3 points)
Coventry are unbeaten in their last five games, all of which in the league.
However they tasted defeat on the opening day of the season against Crawley after a 3-2 loss, and were then knocked out of the Capital One Cup by Leyton Orient by the same scoreline at the Matchroom Stadium.
Officials:
Referee: Trevor Kettle
Assistants: Simon Knapp & Stephen Ross
Fourth Official: David Phillips