Vadaine Oliver back in contention for clash against former club.
Northampton Town v Gillingham
Sky Bet League One
PTS Academy Stadium
Tuesday December 29
Kick-Off, 7.45pm
Team News:
Vadaine Oliver will be available for the fixture after overcoming an injury; the striker was an unused sub in the 4-1 win at Rochdale. Jordan Graham could return to the matchday squad after missing the last month of action with a hamstring strain.
Steve Evans confirmed that Dominic Samuel will miss an extended period of time due to a muscle strain, whilst Henry Woods is out for two to three weeks after a minor operation. Jacob Mellis is unlikely to feature.
Former Gills defender Joe Martin will miss the game through suspension having been sent off during Northampton’s defeat to Crewe.
Keith Curle is expected to ring the changes after the Cobblers were heavily beaten by Lincoln in their last fixture.
Manager Comments:
Steve Evans - "Rochdale is the benchmark in terms of intensity and passing the ball with a high degree of accuracy.
"It's fine margins. We have two tough games coming up; if we come out of them within six points of the play-offs we will have done very well.
“I cannot believe that Keith Curle gets stick. He worked wonders with Northampton. He got them promoted and they started incredibly well.”
Kyle Dempsey - “For us now it’s just full focus into these games. I think we see games where we can pick up a lot of points.
“Like I touched on before, Rochdale was sort of a game in which we needed and everything just clicked. I think for us now that’s got to be the bench mark we use going forward.”
Keith Curle - “Gillingham are like everybody in this division in that they are striving for a level of consistency. There are lots of teams that have gone on a similar run to ourselves this season but you then get that one win that kicks you on.
“We need to get enough wins to keep us in this division and that has been in our mindset since day one this season.”
Previous Meetings:
13/02/2018 - Northampton Town 1-2 Gillingham - Sky Bet League One
21/10/2017 - Gillingham 1-2 Northampton Town - Sky Bet League One
30/04/2017 - Northampton Town 0-0 Gillingham - Sky Bet League One
12/11/2016 - Gillingham 2-1 Northampton Town - Sky Bet League One
29/01/2013 - Gillingham 2-0 Northampton Town - Sky Bet League One
The Gills last visit to Northampton came in 2018, and it ended in victory. Josh Parker and Tom Eaves had put Gillingham 2-0 up inside 20 minutes, and although Ash Taylor got a goal back, it was not enough as Steve Lovell’s side hung on.
Another memorable day at Sixfields came during the final day of the 2016/17 season. Gills had to match Port Vale’s result to stay in League One, and did exactly that following a 0-0 draw in a game which saw Josh Wright miss a penalty. Port Vale were not able to defeat Fleetwood, ensuring survival for the Kent club.
Odds:
Northampton Town win - 17/10
Draw - 9/4
Gillingham win - 6/4
Special Bet: John Akinde to score first and Gillingham to win 2-0- 35/1.
Match Officials:
Referee: Mr C Boyeson
Assistant Referee: Mr P Yates
Assistant Referee: Mr C Kidd
Fourth Official: Mr O Bickle
iFollow:
All UK subscribers can watch Tuesday’s game for a one-off fee of £10! Click the below image to purchase your match pass.
