Tristan Abrahams and Will Wright both pushing for starts as Gills head to Edgeley Park to take on Stockport County.
Stockport County v Gillingham
Edgeley Park
Sky Bet League Two
Tuesday March 7th
Kick-Off, 7.45pm
Team News:
Tuesday will likely come too soon for Dom Jefferies and Robbie McKenzie, while Alex MacDonald could start having come off the bench in the 0-0 draw at Harrogate. Scott Kashket is likely to miss the fixture.
Paddy Madden could return to the County starting XI, having come on as a substitute against Doncaster. Antoni Sarcevic, Kyle Wooton and Chris Hussey should all retain their place in the Stockport starting line-up.
Manager Comments:
Neil Harris - “For us, it's another challenge. Another test for us on the back of a Mansfield and a Bradford, where there's not been a lot in the games. We've got to make sure that we get it defensively right, but we also have those moments of quality as well.”
Dave Challinor [speaking after game with Doncaster] - “Their keeper made some really good saves, and if that hadn’t happened and we’d won 1-0, it’s a totally different feeling.
“Win on Tuesday against Gillingham, though, and that’s four points from three games, so hopefully we can bounce back.”
Previous Meetings:
The last meeting between the two sides was at Stockport in January 2011, where the Gills thrashed The Hatters 5-1. Cody McDonald gave Andy Hessenthaler’s side the lead as he ran into the penalty area before slotting beyond Matt Glennon. Andy Barcham doubled Gillingham’s lead six minutes after half-time as he rounded Glennon before passing the ball into an empty net.
McDonald scored his second and Gillingham’s third just five minutes later. He headed a cross towards the penalty area beyond Glennon as it was out of his reach. In the 70th minute, Ishmel Demontagnac pulled a goal back for Stockport as he did well to flick a head towards the bottom corner and past Alan Julian.
However, it proved to only be a consolation as Curtis Weston made it four less than a minute later. McDonald completed his hat-trick in the 79th minute as he outjumped two defenders to head the ball out of the reach of Glennon.
Gills booked their place in the Third Round of the FA Cup with the reward being a home tie against Aston Villa after a 2-1 win at Edgeley Park in a Second Round replay in late 2010. Stephen Gleeson gave Stockport the lead after 17 minutes. He received the ball inside the penalty area before finding the back of the net with a powerful low-driven shot that beat Simon Royce.
That lead lasted eight minutes as Tottenham loanee Andy Barcham put the Gills back on level terms. Stockport could not properly clear the ball as Barcham’s first-time effort found the bottom corner. He scored his second in the 34th minute.
Adam Miller played an excellent through ball as the forward struck the ball first-time and dragged it into the bottom corner and beyond Owain Fon Williams. Tommy Rowe almost scored a late equaliser for the hosts, but Royce bravely came out to smother his attempt as Mark Stimson’s side held on for a huge win.
Ticket Information:
Odds:
Stockport County win - 3/5
Draw - 13/5
Gillingham win - 19/4
Special Bet: Tom Nichols to score and Gillingham to win 1-0 - 66/1.
Match Officials:
Referee - Ben Toner
Assistants - Chris Isherwood and Gary Hilton
Fourth Official - Paul Stonier
iFollow:
Tuesday’s fixture is available to purchase for a one-off fee of just £10! BBC Radio Kent will provide full commentary and coverage of the match. To purchase, click here.