Fleetwood Town welcome Gillingham to Highbury Stadium on Saturday 14 December for a Sky Bet League One fixture, and in our match preview we have all you need to know.
Fixture: Fleetwood Town v Gillingham
Competition: Sky Bet League One
Date: Saturday 14 December 2019
Kick-off: 15:00 BST
Venue: Highbury Stadium, Park Avenue, Fleetwood, Lancashire
Match officials: Graham Salisbury (Referee), Billy Smallwood & Matthew Bristow (Assistants), Gary Hilton (Fourth official)
Mr. Salisbury will referee a Town game for the second time this season tomorrow, after already taking charge of the home match against Rochdale in September.
The 57-year old has been in the middle for sixteen games this campaign, and has shown 60 yellow cards and one red card.
FLEETWOOD TOWN
The Cod Army will be looking to get back to winning ways this weekend against Gillingham following the defeat in the Fylde Coast derby at Blackpool last time out.
Fleetwood currently sit in 9th in the Sky Bet League One table, one point outside the play-off places, despite having games in hand on the teams above them due to the international break.
The home side are unbeaten at home since October - when Ipswich Town became the team to end the side’s eight-month unbeaten run – and the team will be full of confidence going into this one against the Gills.
Joey Barton will have a near complete side to choose from for his team selection, excluding the long layoff for Jordan Rossiter, who could be out for a matter of months after sustaining a knee injury.
GILLINGHAM
The visitors to the Fylde Coast on Saturday are on a run of two wins in a row following their FA Cup Second Round victory against Doncaster Rovers, and a league victory over Sunderland last weekend.
The Gills are currently sat five points below the Cod Army in 14th position, with the visitors having won just one of their nine matches away from home in the league.
The Kent side travel to Fleetwood this weekend with just the one known injury, with Mark Byrne being a doubt for Saturday’s match after tearing his ACL against Sunderland.
ONE TO WATCH: BRANDON HANLAN
One to watch for Town fans this weekend is Brandon Hanlan. With five goals this season, the forward is the Gills’ top goal scorer.
Two of those goals have been scored in his past four matches, so the Cod Army will be looking to keep him quiet on Saturday and make sure that he doesn’t add to his tally.
Hanlan began his career at Charlton Athletic after coming through the Academy. The 22-year-old had two loan spells at Bromley as well as Colchester United in between, before moving to Gillingham in 2018 on a free transfer.
The Chelsea-born man won Gillingham’s Young Player of the Year award for the 2018-19 season, to top off a good first season after scoring nine goals.
WATCH TOWN ON iFOLLOW
Can't make the game on Saturday? Well don't worry as we have it covered just for you!
Fleetwood Town fans around the world, and in the United Kingdom, will be able to listen and watch full match commentary from Highbury.
Overseas Video Pass: £10
Audio Pass: £2.50
If you want to know more about iFollow, and find out ways to support the Cod Army, click HERE. (terms and conditions)
Any further questions on iFollow Fleetwood, please contact sam.fielding@fleetwoodtownfc.com, or email the EFL on iFollow@efl.com.
WHAT JOEY BARTON HAD TO SAY:
“It is going to be physical, competitive, and a tough game for us. Certainly at home, where they can cause you a problem because of the way they play, it is very effective.
“It is a great challenge for me as a young manager, I have got to learn how to deal with different styles of football, it is the only way you grow and improve.
“Saturday was the first time that I had ever encountered with Simon Grayson as a manager and I learnt a lot from the exchange.
The challenge is to come back smarter and with a different strategy, to make sure that you can implement your game plan more effectively next time.”
You can catch to the full interview on iFollow.
THOUGHTS FROM THE GILLINGHAM CAMP - STEVE EVANS
“It is going to be tough. I think they have won nine out of eleven home matches, so they have made that a fortress for sure.
"We know what sort of game we will get at Fleetwood. We have done our homework and we are looking forward to it."
“They have done very well and they will be fighting for the play-offs for sure, and we know they are full of great players that will be a real threat to us."
BETTING ODDS
You can get a price of 4/5 for Fleetwood to win at home tomorrow.
If you think Joey Barton’s side will win and BTTS you can get a price of 7/2.
If you fancy Town to grab a 4-0 victory at Highbury then you can get a stunning 33/1
Here are some of the odds for players to score in 90 minutes:
Paddy Madden – 6/5
Ched Evans – 6/4
Paul Coutts – 9/1
Danny Andrew – 10/1
For more odds on SkyBet, click HERE. Please remember to bet and gamble responsibly.
