Match Previews

Preview | Gillingham v Tranmere Rovers

8th March

Glenn Morris is set to retain his place in goal for Gills game against Tranmere, but the fixture comes too soon for Josh Andrews.

The Gills welcome Nigel Adkins’ Tranmere Rovers to Priestfield this Saturday afternoon. The home side will be looking to bounce back in front of the ME7 crowd after a testing week on the road.

After claiming seven points from an available nine versus Stockport, Wrexham and Salford, the Gills hit a speed bump midweek with a 2-0 defeat at Barrow.

Nevertheless, sitting level on points with seventh placed Walsall, and in a tightly contested league, Saturday presents another opportunity to get back on track, and continue to fight for the opportunity to compete for promotion come the end of the campaign.

Gillingham v Tranmere Rovers

Priestfield Stadium

Sky Bet League Two

Saturday March 9

Kick-Off, 3pm

Team News:

Long-term injuries for Dom Jefferies (Thigh), Josh Andrews (Muscle Strain) and Jorge Hurtado (Knee) will keep all three players out of contention for a position in the squad this weekend.

Robbie Stockdale confirmed during his pre-match press conference this week that Josh Andrews is edging closer to making his Gills debut, but will likely remain out until later this month whilst the player regains his fitness.

George Lapslie (Calf) could return.

As for Tranmere, Nigel Adkins’ side come into the weekend off the back of a 1-0 victory at home to Sutton last Saturday. The Rovers manager confirmed in his pre-match press conference that there were one or two players with minor injuries who would need to be assessed ahead of their trip to Priestfield.

Luke Norris is likely to be involved against his former club, he came on as a second half substitute last time out.

Management Comments:

Robbie Stockdale: “It’s such a competitive division.

"We went to Tranmere quite early on in mine and Stephen’s time at the club and they beat us 3-1 on the day. They’re a stubborn team to break down with some good players such as Apter.

“It’s about us, we need to play to our levels and we’re a match for anybody in this division. We came off it a little bit last Tuesday, but we’ll be back on it.

“It’s tight (The Play-Off race). I think we’re in it, one hundred percent we’re in it! If we put together a run of two or three wins, it can be really beneficial, and we’ll get ourselves into a really good position.”

Nigel Adkins: “We’re going away from home, Priestfield, they’re knocking on the door of the play-offs, obviously they got beat midweek up at Barrow, so they’ve had the long journey like we exampled the previous week against Swindon.

“We know going down there, it’s going to be a challenge like every game is, but we know that we can win away from home.

"We know we’ve got a spirit about ourselves; we’ve got goals in the team.”

Previous Meeting:

The Gills last faced Tranmere back in November, when Stephen Clemence’s men made the trip to Prenton Park for the reverse fixture of the current Sky Bet League Two campaign.

A double from Rob Apter and a strike from Connor Jennings put the home side 3-0 up on the day, before a late strike from Connor Mahoney gave the Gills a consolation goal on a disappointing trip to The Wirral.

Head-to-Head:

Gillingham – 8

Draw – 15

Tranmere Rovers – 15

The Gills first encountered Tranmere way back in the 1961/62 campaign, when both teams competed in the old Division 4.

This weekend’s opponents have proven a tricky test for Gillingham down the years, claiming 15 wins against eight for the Gills. The two clubs have never met in cup competition.

Ticket Information:

Tickets for this weekend’s fixture versus Tranmere can be purchased online through the official club website.