It may only have been their second defeat in ten games under Dean Holdsworth’s management, but The Shots continued their slip down the league table after the 2-1 home defeat against Port Vale on Saturday and although that match showed glimpses of the excitement that has returned to the field under his leadership, there were also large portions of the game where the players failed to demonstrate the commitment being asked for by their new boss and it will be down to the players to step up a gear if they are to avoid defeat against the Gills.
Aldershot enter the match in 18th place with 37 points from 32 games while the Gills currently occupy the final play-off space in 7th, with 48 points having played a game more.
Shots Team News
Shots manager Dean Holdsworth remained in positive mood following the weekend's defeat at the hands of Port Vale, and focusing on the Gills match, he saw the game as an early opportunity to make amends.
”We’ve got to stick together, there’s no knee-jerk reaction. We just stick together, prepare right and do the professional thing and ask for a better performance over 95 minutes," he told the Premium Shots.
”It’s going to be a tough game for us and we find ourselves now with two games against sides who are both above us [Wycombe on Saturday] and it is a big challenge for us.
”They [Gillingham] had a good win at the weekend and we know they’re a tough side and they’ll come away from home with a plan so we’ve got to be on it and raise our game as much as we can.”
New loan signing Luke Medley will be available for selection, however The Shots are without Jack Randall [broken leg] while Damian Spencer [Eastbourne Borough], Anthony Straker [Wycombe Wanderers] and Reece Connolly [Dorchester Town] all remain out on loan and there is no news on whether Alex Rodman will be fit in time for the match, having missed Saturday’s game with calf strains.
Shots from: Jamie Young, Mikhael Jaimez-Ruiz, Ben Herd, Simon Grand, Luke Guttridge, Darren Jones, Jamie Vincent, Anthony Charles, Ben Harding, Danny Hylton, Manny Panther, Aaron Morris, John Halls, Peter Vincenti, Clayton Fortune, Jermaine McGlashan, Wade Small, Alex Rodman, Luke Medley, Albert Jarrett and Tim Sills.
The Opposition
Gills manager Andy Hessenthaler is looking to make up some ground in the play-off race at the EBB Stadium on Tuesday evening as his promotion-hunting side come out of a run against sides in the top half of the table and with several of his team’s forthcoming matches being against clubs in the lower reaches of the table, the Gills will certainly be looking for three points against the struggling Shots.
”We have played all the sides that are up there and we’ve now got two months of games where we are more than capable of getting a lot of points,” he told the media ahead of the match.
And one man who is hoping that his boss is correct is former Shot, John Nutter who continued: ”I know they will be desperate to get some points but I’m looking forward to going back and I’ll be trying to go for a win.
"I am expecting a really tough game there. They were beaten at home (on Saturday) and I know their manager will have them right up for the game.
"They are beatable and we need to go up there with the same attitude that we showed on Saturday and try to get three points."
Josh Gowling should be available following an ankle injury however Simon King is still suffering from his, so won’t feature. Joe Martin (cheekbone), Chris Palmer (knee) and Connor Essam (ankle) all complete the Gills sick list.
Gillingham from: Alan Julian, Lance Cronin, Barry Fuller, John Nutter, Curtin Weston, Garry Richards, Kevin Maher, Mark Bentley, Mark McCammon, Cody McDonald, Andy Barcham, Luke Rooney, Matthew Lawrence, Josh Gowling, Danny Spiller, Danny Jackman, Nicky Southall, Dennis Oli, Andy White, Dean Rance, Adebayo Akinfenwa, Jack Payne, Tony Sinclair, Ashley Miller and Callum Davies.
- You can visit the official Gillingham website here.
Taking Charge
Mick Russell will be taking charge of the match and will be assisted by Carl Brooks and Tim Robinson. Stuart Butler is the fourth official.
Weather Forecast
The BBC weather forecast for the match is given as partially cloudy with highs of 4°C.
Ticket News
Tickets for the match are set at:
Adult seats: £19, terrace: £17.
Concession (Over 60s, Military and students (both on production of ID cards only) seats: £15, terrace: £13.
Under 16s seats: £8, terrace £6.
For information on Family and Disabled ticket prices, please click here.
The match is not all-ticket and supporters can pay on the turnstiles on the day.
Other News
- BBC Radio Surrey
Supporters unable to make the match can hear live coverage from the match on BBC Radio Surrey (on 104.6 FM) which is brought to you by the regular team of Gavin Denison and Aldershot Town Media Manager Steve Gibbs.
Supporters are reminded that there is no internet coverage of this match.