Stephen Clemence will assess certain players until the last moment as Gills prepare to head to Colchester for their opening fixture of 2024.
Colchester United v Gillingham
Sky Bet League Two
The JobServe Community Stadium
Monday January 1, 2024
Kick-Off, 3pm
Team News:
Stephen Clemence will wait until the last possible moment to see if Max Ehmer (ankle) and Jonny Williams (hamstring) are available having received knocks during the 1-0 win over Sutton.
Robbie McKenzie could come back into the squad if Williams is not ruled fit.
As for Colchester they could field ex-Gills striker, John Akinde, in their starting XI. They lost 5-3 at AFC Wimbledon earlier this week. Cameron McGeehan was sent off so he may serve a one-match ban.
Manager Comments:
Stephen Clemence - "Matty Etherington is there, who was my old teammate at Spurs, so it will be good to see him. It will be a completely different game from what Sutton has given us."
Matty Etherington - “I think we’re seeing signs of what we’re trying to do, albeit I’d like to see signs for longer periods.
“It’s key moments in both boxes where we’re not good enough at the minute.”
Previous Meetings:
The clubs last met in the reverse fixture in August at Priestfield. The visitors ran out comfortable 3-0 winners. The last time Gills beat Colchester was in January of 2023 away from home where David Tutonda and Tom Nichols bagged the goals in a 2-0 win.
In total the clubs have met on 89 occasions. Both sides have 31 wins, with 27 draws.
Odds:
Colchester win - 17/10
Draw - 12/5
Gills win - 7/5
Special Bet: Connor Mahoney to score first in a 2-1 Gills win = 45/1.
Officials:
Referee - Sam Purkiss
Assistants: Andrew Aylott and Stephen Finch
Fourth Official: Ryan Whitaker