George Lapslie and Jake Turner are likely to be involved in the matchday squad for Gills League 2 game at Salford.
The Gills travel to the Peninsula Stadium looking to back up a huge win against Wrexham at Priestfield last weekend.
After sealing a narrow victory against the promotion chasers, Stephen Clemence and his backroom staff will know that now is the time for this Gills team to find some consistency with results, and consolidate their place in the top seven of the Sky Bet League Two table.
Salford City v Gillingham
Peninsula Stadium
Sky Bet League Two
Saturday March 2
Kick-Off, 3pm
Team News:
Dom Jefferies continues to recover from a long-term thigh injury and will remain unavailable for the trip to Salford City this weekend. Stephen Clemence confirmed in his pre-match press conference that we are unlikely to see Dom return before Easter.
Josh Andrews edges closer to making his Gills debut, after the January signing sustained a muscle strain during a recent B-Team game. He will however not be fit for this weekend’s match.
Jorge Hurtado has undergone knee surgery with a specialist in Madrid. The Columbian forward will now work on his rehabilitation, with the aim of returning to the squad before the season’s end.
Jake Turner has trained this week and will likely be part of the squad in Greater Manchester.
As for Salford, Theo Vassell is available for selection this weekend after serving his suspension following dismissal against Mansfield. Matt Smith will likely start up front.
Manager Comments:
Stephen Clemence: “We’ve actually got a very busy period coming up, I think it’s five games in 14 or 15 days. There’s a lot of points up for grabs in that time so we’re going to have to be bang at it, which we will be.
“There’s a number of people I know at the football club (Salford), so I’m looking forward to seeing them, but I’m also looking forward to taking them on with Gillingham. We’re going up there to come back with a result.
“You only have to look at the results in the week, it doesn’t matter who you play in this division, they’re all tough games. I think we’re a tough game and our opponents will recognise that, but we have to bring the best version of ourselves every time we go out on a football pitch.
“They’re a completely different side to the one we played earlier in the season. There will be a lot of duels on the pitch, we’ll have to stay with the runners, I imagine there’ll be quite a bit of physicality to the game. We have to go there and play ourselves, if we do that, then I know we can get a result.”
Karl Robinson: “I think we’ve improved tremendously in the last 10 games. Every focus has been on winning, that will never change, it’s a cultural shift that we expect at the football club, and I don’t think anything we do internally will not be based on winning.
“So, it’s finding a way with the injuries that we have, and I think it’s a tremendous challenge for everybody. Does it cause us headaches? Yes. Is it a problem? No. Do we have good enough players to cope with the demand? We certainly have that in abundance.”
Previous Meeting:
Gillingham 3-1 Salford City
18th November 2023
Sky Bet League Two
The Ammies visited Priestfield in the reverse fixture of the current Sky Bet League Two campaign.
In Head Coach Stephen Clemence’s second league game at the helm, the Gills produced a performance on a chilly Tuesday afternoon in front of the home crowd.
Goals from Connor Mahoney, Tom Nichols and Dom Jefferies sealed the points on the day in a 3-1 win.
Head-to-Head:
Salford City – 1
Draw – 0
Gillingham – 2
Having only met on three occasions across the history of both clubs, there is not much to take from the records when looking back at previous clashes with Salford City.
As both clubs have spent their entire histories at different levels of the football pyramid, the first meeting did not come until December 2022, when the Ammies travelled to Priestfield for a Sky Bet League Two match.
The Gills have never met Salford City in cup competition.
Ticket Information:
Tickets for Away supporters will be available to purchase on the day from the Away Turnstile ‘A2’ at the Peninsula Stadium. **Card Only**
Collections and duplicates can be collected from Away Turnstile ‘A1’ once received at the ground.
Odds:
Salford City – 6/4
Draw – 23/10
Gillingham – 8/5
Special Bet: Oli Hawkins to score and Gillingham to win – 9/2
Match Officials:
Referee: Ross Joyce
Assistants: Jacob Lehane & Adam Burgess
Fourth Official: Alistair Nelson
Sat Nav: M7 3PZ