An unchanged XI could be named as Gills prepare to take on Rochdale.
ROCHDALE V GILLINGHAM
The Crown Oil Arena
Sky Bet League 2
Saturday February 18
Kick-Off, 3pm
Team News:
Scott Kashket (groin) was back on the grass this week but it is likely to be another week or two before he can be considered for first-team selection. Lewis Walker (knee) will be out for the rest of the season after injuring his knee in training.
Shaun Williams has trained without any issues having come on as a sub on Tuesday night, but George Lapslie will be pushing to keep his place in midfield having scored against Grimsby.
Otherwise manager Neil Harris has a fully fit squad to choose from ahead of the trip to the Crown Oil Arena.
As for Rochdale, Dan Adshead (knee) will not be available to play against his former club and may be out of action for a little while yet. Danny Lloyd however is likely to feature for Dale having overcome a serious injury which was picked up when playing for Gills against Ipswich early in 2022.
Manager Comments:
Neil Harris - “We are out of the relegation zone but there is a long way to go, but getting out of the bottom two is another positive from this run that we are on.
“I want to see a Gillingham team that can compete and that is what the supporters want."
Jim Bentley - “Ultimately, it’s important that everyone sticks together, keeps working hard and keeps believing. We’re in a difficult position but like I say every week, we can’t feel sorry for ourselves.
“We’ve got to come out fighting and make sure we represent the club and the fans in the right manner.”
Previous Meetings:
When the two clubs met earlier in the season Gills secured a 1-0 win at Priestfield thanks to an early goal from Scott Kashket. In total the clubs have met on 53 occasions, Gills winning 18 and Dale 16.
Two of those games came in the League 2 Play-Off Semi-Finals in 2009 where Simeon Jackson scored twice in the second leg at Priestfield to send Mark Stimson's men to Wembley.
Odds:
Rochdale win - 2/1
Draw - 11/5
Gills win - 13/10
Special bet: Timothee Dieng to score first and Gills to win 2-1 = 90/1.
Officials:
Referee: Marc Edwards
Assistants: Hristo Karaivanov and Graeme Fyvie
Fourth Official : Benjamin Speedie