Match Previews

Preview | Fleetwood Town v Gillingham

10th December

Gills boss Steve Evans will be without both Ryan Jackson and Max Ehmer for the trip to Lancashire.

Fleetwood Town v Gillingham

Sky Bet League One

Highbury Stadium

Saturday December 11^th

Kick-Off, 3pm

Team News:

Jamie Cumming will return for Saturday’s game after missing the defeat to Rotherham due to COVID. Max Ehmer, who went off in the first half with a shoulder injury on Tuesday, will miss the game. Ryan Jackson will also miss the trip to Fleetwood through suspension.

John Akinde will require a fitness test, having come off with a hamstring problem at the New York Stadium. Rhys Bennett and David Tutonda could return to the matchday squad for the fixture. Ben Reeves also has a chance of featuring after overcoming a hamstring strain.

Stephen Crainey could name an unchanged starting line-up after Fleetwood’s 3-0 win over Bolton in midweek. Ged Garner and Harrison Biggins should keep their place in the team.

Dan Batty will return to the squad, having missed the win over Bolton through suspension.

Manager Comments:

Steve Evans - "You have to make your own luck, so we will continue to work hard and do things right.

"We will be positive with the group.

"Fleetwood has always been a tough place to go, they could have scored more than three on Tuesday."

Stephen Crainey - “Gillingham have a mixed balance, they can go direct, and they can also play some good football on the ground as well, but we think we can match them – hopefully we can do that as it’s easier said than done.”

Recent Form:

Fleetwood Town- WLLDL

Fleetwood got their first win since mid-October on Tuesday with a 3-0 win against Bolton. Ged Garner put Stephen Crainey’s side in front before Ricardo Santos’ red card gave The Cod Army a further advantage. Harrison Biggins capitalised on having the extra man and scored twice in two minutes to ensure a convincing win for Fleetwood.

That win moved them up to 21st in the league table with 18 points from 20 games as they bounced back from the 5-1 thrashing at Accrington last weekend.

Previous Meetings:

Gillingham’s only win at Fleetwood came just before Christmas in 2017. Steve Lovell’s side scored twice in the opening 15 minutes through Josh Parker and Luke O’Neill to ensure a big win as Gills won 2-0.

Another memorable game at Highbury Stadium came during the club’s first ever visit to Fleetwood in 2013. Danny Kedwell gave Martin Allen’s side an early lead, but Jamille Matt scored to bring The Cod Army back level. Charlie Allen scored on the stroke of half-time before Matt levelled once again with just 20 minutes remaining as the final score ended 2-2.