Gillingham v Blackpool
Emirates FA Cup First Round
MEMS Priestfield Stadium
Saturday November 2
Kick-Off, 3pm
Team News:
Bradley Dack will not be available for Saturday’s game as he continues to recover from his hamstring injury. Robbie McKenzie is a doubt, as is George Lapslie.
Aaron Rowe (hamstring) needs another week or two to be up to full fitness. Elliott Nevitt will also sit out. Glenn Morris could return to the squad.
As for Blackpool, it is unlikely that former Gills loanee Elkan Baggott will be in the squad due to injury. Strikers, Ashley Fletcher and Jordan Rhodes, may feature.
Manager Comments:
Mark Bonner: “Much like us, they will probably see this like a nice break from the league and a chance for them to get a result which they haven’t had for a while, and we’re probably in the same position ourselves.
"It’s a hard game to prepare for in terms of knowing how seriously sides will take the competition, whether they see it as an opportunity to progress and earn extra revenue - or a chance to rotate their squad and ensure league aspirations remain their priority.”
Stephen Dobbie [Assistant First-Team Coach]: “I’m sure on Saturday he will [Steve Bruce] get a good reception from our fans and their fans, because that’s where he started out.”
Previous Meetings:
The clubs have met on 43 previous occasions with Gillingham winning 13 of those games, and Blackpool edge the head-to-head statistics with 16 victories.
The last time the teams met was in April 2001 at Bloomfield Road where Gills lost 4-1 to the Seasiders, with Jordan Graham having initially levelled the scores at 1-1.
Earlier that season, at MEMS Priestfield Stadium, Gills won the reverse fixture 2-0 thanks to two goals from Dominic Samuel.
Streaming information:
Video match passes are not available for this fixture both in the UK and overseas. Individual audio match passes cannot be sold, however those who have annual and monthly audio subscriptions will receive commentary.
Odds:
Gills win – 14/5
Draw – 11/4
Blackpool win – 4.5
Special bet: Jack Nolan to score first in a 2-1 win = 85/1
Officials:
Referee – Mr Carl Brook
Assistants – Mr Alex Mathieson and Mr Alex Bradley
Fourth Official – Mr Daniel Baines
