We look ahead to the Gills live TV fixture with Wolves
GILLINGHAM V WOLVESSky Bet League One
MEMS Priestfield Stadium
Friday January 3
Kick-Off, 7.45pm
Team News:
Peter Taylor may welcome back Chris Whelpdale (ankle), Danny Hollands (knee) and Myles Weston (hamstring) for the visit of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The postponement of the Stevenage fixture on New Years’ Day has given the Manager a little bit of time to improve fitness amongst the squad; however the trio may have to make an appearance from the bench.
Danny Kedwell was due to have his hernia operation on Thursday and so will be unavailable for selection.
However Adam Birchall has returned from his loan spell at Dartford and could be in contention with Antonio German having joined Northampton on a month’s loan.
As for Wolves they will be without first choice goalkeeper Carl Ikeme who broke his hand in the closing stages with the 1-1 draw with Tranmere on January the 1st.
As a result Aaron McCarey has been recalled from his loan spell with York with Welsh International Wayne Hennessey expected to start in goal.
Defender Richard Stearman also misses the game due to suspension having been sent off against Rovers.
Ethan Ebanks-Landell is also a doubt in defence after suffering a knee injury in the same game, while full back Matt Doherty may also miss out due to a hamstring strain.
Manager Comments:
Peter Taylor says having Wolves in the same league as Gillingham shows the quality that the division has, and is looking forward to seeing how his players react to the challenge.
He said: “Kenny Jackett has got a very good, organised team but I'm sure he gets fed up that other teams put that little bit extra in against them. Wolves is a great opportunity for the players to go and show what they can do.
"It's a great game and it shows the strength of League One.
"We have only had one point from games against Walsall and Leyton Orient but they are two very good teams and we could have got more points. It shows we are progressing."
Kenny Jackett added: “It is an opportunity for all of us to show we are a good team who play good football and can hopefully get what we didn’t today [New Years’ Day] which is three points.”
The Gaffer – Kenny Jackett
Jackett joined Wolves as Manager in the summer after leaving Championship outfit Millwall after six years at the Den.
Prior to that he was the boss at Watford and Swansea City, the former being the only professional club he ever played for during his ten year career.
After coming through the youth ranks at Vicarage Road Jackett went on to make over 330 league appearances, scoring 25 goals in the process from 1980 to 1990.
During his spell with the Hornets he received 31 full national caps for Wales between the years 1982 and 1988.
To date Jackett has lost just three league matches while at the helm at Molineux.
The Skipper – Sam Ricketts
Ricketts is somebody that Kenny Jackett knows well, having taken the defender to Swansea in May 2004 when Telford United went out of business.
He went on to play for Hull and Bolton Wanderers, enjoying stints in the Premier League with two different sides prior to signing for Wolves in the summer.
He has 51 full Welsh caps to his name.
One to Watch – Leigh Griffiths
The Scottish International striker will be no stranger to Gills fans as the forward scored twice in the 4-0 win over Gills at Molineux earlier in the season.
To date he has scored 13 goals in all competitions, his last coming against Crewe in a 2-0 home victory on Boxing Day.
Wolves – the season so far
Coming in to the game Wolves are second in Sky Bet League One with 49 points to their name (14 wins, seven draws and three defeats).
They are three points shy of league leaders Brentford, and a point ahead of Leyton Orient who have a game in hand.
Wanderers started the season brilliantly, losing just twice in all competitions up until mid-November when they were beaten three times in five outings, one of which in the FA Cup against Oldham.
On their visit to Priestfield they have claimed just one victory in five matches, with a 1-1 draw being the end result against Tranmere on New Years’ Day.
As for their progress in the various cup competitions, Oldham proved Wolves undoing in the FA Cup.
In the JPT it was Notts County who caused a slight upset having progressed thanks to a 3-1 penalty shootout victory after a 0-0 draw in normal time at Molineux.
In the Capital One Cup Kenny Jackett’s men were eliminated at the first stage after a 1-0 defeat to Morecambe at the Globe Arena.
Previous Meetings:
Prior to the 4-0 score line at Molineux earlier this season, Gills hadn’t played Wanderers since February 2005 when a 2-2 draw was played out in the Midlands.
Goals from Darius Henderson and Michael Flynn earned a point as Stan Ternent’s men returned with a deserved draw.
Earlier in the season Gills clinched a 1-0 win at home with Matt Jarvis scoring in the 18th minute, despite Ian Cox seeing red just six minutes prior.
In total the clubs have met on 14 separate occasions. Wolves edge the head to head stats with seven victories to their name while Gills have five.
The other two matches resulted in a draw.
Current Form:
Gills: LLDWLD (5 points)
Wolves: LLDWDD (6 points)
Betting:
Sky Bet, the Football League’s official sponsor, are favouring Wolves for victory in our Friday night clash with the visitors given a short price of 8/11 with the Gills at 7/2.
A draw is 11/4, with Cody McDonald 8/1 to score first.
For Cody and Kevin Doyle to both score during the match you can get a price of 17/2.
To place your bets and open an account click here.
Officials:
Referee – Mark Brown
Assistants - Matt Foley and Robert Hyde
Fourth Official - Carl Berry