Match Previews

Preview | Gillingham v Charlton Athletic

1st December

Robbie McKenzie could be available for selection against Charlton, but Oli Hawkins likely to miss out.

Gillingham Vs. Charlton Athletic

Emirates FA Cup Second Round

Priestfield Stadium

Saturday 2^nd December

Kick-Off, 3pm

Team News:

The Gills will have a near fully fit squad available this weekend.

In his pre-match press conference, Stephen Clemence did mention there may be one or two slight fitness concerns, but that there are no new serious injuries since the midweek fixture against Wimbledon.

Oli Hawkins has continued to train with the squad, having been side-lined with a long-term heel injury, sustained during pre-season. The target man has been working on building and regaining his fitness, the visit of Charlton may come too soon for him, however.

Connor Mahoney has permission to play in the competition.

As for Charlton, Michael Appleton confirmed Miles Leaburn (hamstring) has undergone a scan and the club are awaiting news on how long he may be out for.

Harry Isted (knee), Terry Taylor (ankle), Panutche Camará (hamstring) and Chuks Aneke (hamstring) will all be missing.

Connor McGrandles however should come back into contention.

Manager Comments:

Stephen Clemence: "If you are going to beat a team from the higher division you have to play at the top of your game and the boys will have to be seven, eight or nine out of 10 to get a result, there is no doubt about it.

“They will be the favourites coming into it, they have good players, so have we, and if we turn up we will give them a good game, that will be the aim."

Michael Appleton: “It’s going to be a different type of game to what I’ve faced down at Gillingham in recent times with various teams.

“Stephen Clemence has tried to change the style of play, they’re a little more patient in their build-up.

"They certainly play a lot more in the opposition’s half and it’s a lot more intricate with more passes."

Previous Meeting:

The last league meeting between the two clubs came in March 2022, with Gills travelling to The Valley in a Sky Bet League 1 fixture.

The teams have met in the FA Cup before, that game taking place at Priestfield in January 2004. Gills won 3-2 having gone 1-0 down inside the opening minute, with Bertrand Bossu having an incredible game in goal to put Andy Hessenthaler's side through.

Head-to-Head:

Gillingham – 7

Draw – 14

Charlton – 18

The visitors this weekend have a winning record against the Gills down the years. The clubs first meeting over a century ago, in the 1921/22 league season for a fixture in which Gillingham claimed a 2-0 win.

Their record since shows them to hold sway in the statistics, claiming 16 league wins to Gillingham’s six. The clubs have also played out 14 league draws across the divisions in that time.

The difference is made up in previous cup meetings.

Gillingham and Charlton have claimed one win each in previous FA Cup meetings. Charlton also claimed a win in the EFL Trophy in August 2022.

Ticket Information:

Tickets for this cup tie are still available via the official club website below: