Gills defender hoping for a win and clean sheet when Morecambe visit ME7.
Jack Tucker is hopeful that the club's first win, and clean sheet of the season, will occur when Gills welcome Morecambe to MEMS Priestfield Stadium on Saturday but says it will be far from easy.
Tucker has featured in all three league games this season, with the Gills picking up two points. For the defender, keeping clean sheets is the priority.
Despite the winless start with no clean sheets, Tucker is confident that they are not far away from breaking that duck.
“For myself and as a whole, we want to keep clean sheets as a back four. It’s disappointing that we haven’t kept one yet, but I think that the basics are there, and it’s only a matter of time because we all look after each other in the back four, and we know what to expect from one another.
“It will be a matter of time until that first one comes and for our first win aswell.”
Morecambe are the opponents at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium on Saturday, and the central defender knows just how tough of a challenge they will be.
The Shrimps were promoted via the League Two play-offs last season, and many people’s favourite to be relegated. However, they have had a strong start to the season, picking up four points and beating Blackburn in the Carabao Cup.
Tucker admits that this is a game that they would not get complacent in and that Morecambe’s solid start has helped prove that. He realises that it will be a difficult task, but one they can get through if they stick to the game plan.
“They’ve had a great start to the season, and it’s something that would never go through our mind. Teams come up, and they come down every single year, and they always hold their own in League One.
“We have much respect for them, but we’re not scared. We will go out with our game plan, and if we carry that out well enough, it hopefully it should be enough to bring us home three points.”
It will be the second home game with supporters for Gills, with their previous three games on the road. Despite that, the Gillingham fans have made their presence known over the last ten days.
The great support at AFC Wimbledon was rewarded with a dramatic own goal deep into stoppage time, causing rapturous scenes. Tucker acknowledges how crucial the supporters will be on Saturday, and knows that Tuesday night’s draw could have a massive impact on everybody associated with the football club.
“We have very good support, home and away, just like we saw on Tuesday," he added. "We had a great following down there, and it hopefully gave them something to go home smiling about when we scored that late goal.
“Hopefully, as fans and players, we can take that energy from the late drama on Tuesday into the game on Saturday. That will hopefully give us more than enough to go and get the three points tomorrow.”
Tucker has been at the heart of the defence with Max Ehmer this season. The German defender returned after a year away, and the 21-year-old is delighted to see his defensive partner back alongside him.
“It’s great to have Max back, and it’s like he’d never been away to be fair. I’ve always enjoyed playing with him, and he was the one that helped me when I first started playing first-team football.”