We look ahead to our JPT first round fixture
GILLINGHAM V LEYTON ORIENTJOHNSTONE’S PAINT TROPHY
MEMS PRIESTFIELD STADIUM
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 3
KICK-OFF, 7PM
Team News:
Martin Allen has no fresh injury or suspension concerns ahead of Tuesday’s visit of the SkyBET League One leaders.
The Gills boss is likely to make a few changes for the tie with Cody McDonald, Antonio German and Charlie Allen all pushing for starting places.
Danny Hollands could also make his full debut for the club after signing on loan from Charlton Athletic late last week.
Amine Linganzi won’t return to action until Saturday at the earliest though with the midfielder still suffering with a hamstring injury sustained on international duty for Congo a couple of weeks ago.
As for Leyton Orient they too are likely to make alterations to their starting line-up. The team have yet to taste defeat this season in the league and recorded an impressive 2-1 victory away at Colchester at the weekend.
Shaun Batt could make his return to the starting line-up, the striker sat out the matches against Crewe and Hull at the end of last month, but got 15 minutes under his belt after coming on as a second half substitute on Saturday.
On loan Burnley midfielder Marvin Bartley may also make the starting 11 after overcoming a hamstring niggle to make the bench in the same game.
Former Gills loanee Kevin Lisbie may also feature, but he could be rested after scoring five goals already this season in seven games.
Manager/Player Comments:
Martin Allen is well aware of the challenges lay ahead on Tuesday night with the League One leaders hoping to build on their impressive start to the season with a win in the first round of the JPT.
The Gills boss says he isn’t surprised by Orient’s strong start and praised Russell Slade for the job he has done at the Matchroom Stadium.
He said: “I went to see them play last week against Hull and they dominated from start to finish and I couldn’t believe they didn’t beat them.
“It’s not a surprise to me; they finished the season really well. They were one or two points outside the play-offs – Russell Slade is a good Manager, he has a good group of young players who have come through the system and some good experienced players to help them along the way.
“They are playing with a lot of confidence, they are playing positively and it’s taken a good few years to build that team together so it’s no surprise they are top of the league.”
Slade, who has been Orient's Manager since 2010, says his players are in top form at the moment and has got the start to the campaign he wanted.
He said: “The strikers are in the form of their lives at the start of the season which is what you want, they've got five a piece and they are looking so potent at the minute, it's frightening.
“The spirit is fantastic.”
Michael Harriman, who has signed on loan for the Gills for the rest of the season from QPR, says he and the squad will be out to spoil Orient’s positive start.
He said: “You have to treat it like any other game; we’re going to try and win.
“They’re on fire and winning games but we won’t let them come here and walk all over us. We will put up a good fight and stop the winning run they have had.”
Previous Meetings:
The last time the two sides met was in an FA Cup second round encounter in November 2011. A goal from Curtis Weston on the stroke of half time was enough to book the Gills a place in the third round, where they went on to play Premiership side Stoke City after a 1-0 win at Brisbane Road.
In total the two clubs have met on 64 occasions with Orient just edging the statistics having won 24 of those matches, compared to Gillingham’s tally of 23 victories.
The other 17 games have resulted in a draw.
Current Form:
Gills: LLLDD (2 points)
Orient: WWWWW (15 points)
In the Capital One Cup the Gills were knocked out in the first round by Bristol City after a 2-0 defeat at Priestfield on August 6.
Orient got through to the second phase of the competition but were eliminated at home by Premiership new boys Hull City 1-0.
Betting Odds:
If you fancy a repeat score line from our 1-0 win over Orient in the FA Cup in 2011 then you can get odds of 8/1 from SkyBET. *
Selected other markets are as follows:
Gills – 15/8
Draw – 12/5
Orient – 11/8
Myles Weston first scorer – 12/1.
For more odds on the game, click here.
Officials:
Referee: Michael Bull
Assistants: Alan Dale & Christopher O’Donnell
Fourth Official: Stephen Rubery
*Odds correct at time of writing