Oldham Athletic (H) - 24 Jan 15

[Kent_UckyFriedGills]

The second of two successive home games.Fans will more confident after last weeks performance and result.Three late goals securing a deserved win against a side that is down there with us.Oldham are doing well under Lee Johnson,their fans say that it is against sides like us where they struggle as they aim for the Playoffs.In Oldham`s last away game they won 2-0 at Fleetwood.I will be at this game which is my first since the Chesterfield home game.

Can we make it two wins in a row and get into the 30+ points bracket? And what would be your Gills Team?

[Garawa]

A goal for the Gills would be their 3,000th in Football League competition at Priestfield (we have conceded 1,940).

Oldham have scored first in 7 of their 12 away league games and are unbeaten when doing so (winning 3).

The Gills have won 13 of the 21 home games against Oldham (there have been 2 draws). Only 6 goals have been scored in the last 5 ties, only 1 of them being for the Gills.

Oldham beat Fleetwood 2-0 away last week to end a run of 3 defeats and a draw that had seen 15 goals conceded. The first defeat saw them lose 0-4 at home to Yeovil and a 0-7 defeat at MK Dons followed it. They are the only side in League 1 to ship 7 goals so far this season.

Jonathan Forte is Oldham's top scorer with 13 goals this season however he has registered only 2 in 9 games. Cody McDonald has 6 in 7.

Only 4 goals have been scored home and away in the last 5 ties between the sides. The last match ended 0-0 whilst Oldham won the 3 before it 1-0.

In the last 8 ties between the clubs either of the sides failed to score on 9 occasions! 6 of those were Gills blank sheets.

3:02
Kick-Off

3:09
GOAL! Gillingham 1-0 Oldham Athletic: Marquis
John marquis scores the Gills 3,000th goal at Priestfield in the Football League.

3:12
Oldham had previously scored first in 7 of their 12 away league games and were unbeaten when doing so (winning 3).

3:16
GOAL! Gillingham 2-0 Oldham Athletic: Marquis

3:22
Bradley Dack concedes a penalty. Stuart Nelson saves it!

3:22
GOAL! Gillingham 2-1 Oldham Athletic
Oldham score on the rebound from Nelson's saved penalty.

3:25
GOAL! Gillingham 2-2 Oldham Athletic.

3:51
Half-time: 2-2

4:07
The second half kicks off.

4:32
GOAL! Gillingham 3-2 Oldham Athletic: Dack

4:57
Full-time: 3-2

[Garawa]

Not a must win game like last week but we need home wins to stay up and this poses one of the more winnable ones. On that basis, and purely that we can't afford to keep slipping up after taking a step forward each time, we need to win. Goals are a rarity in this fixture, take a look a look at my match facts here viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1604&p=7082#p7082. Just 1 goal for the Gills and 6 in total from the last 5 ties against Oldham at Priestfield and only 4 goals home and away in the last 5!

I make it a Gills goal will be our 3,000th at Priestfield in the Football League as well.

[fan_of_mulligan]

I think Gillingham will line up as follows.......................

----------------------------------Nelson--------------------------------------
Hoyte----------------Egan-------------------Ehmer-----------------Garmston
---------------------------------Pritchard--------------------------------------
----------Hessenthaler----------------------------------Loft------------------
-----------------------------------Dack----------------------------------------
--------------------McDonald--------------Marquis----------------------------

Subs: G.Morris (GK), Romeo, Legge, McGlashan, Dickenson, Galbraith, Norris

I think Gillingham will stick with the diamond midfield formation with Josh Pritchard, Doug Loft, Bradley Dack and Jake Hessenthaler playing as the four man central midfield - I know this means that Jermaine McGlashan starts on the bench, but McGlashan seems to cause a bigger impact when playing for 25 - 30 minutes rather then when he starts, also one winger means that the entire team is lopsided and we lose the balance in midfield, and if McGlashan starts on the right then Dickenson needs to start on the left.

Last week, I wrote a article on here mentioning just how crucial our home form is going to be in deciding on what division Gillingham are going to be playing in next season and it was brilliant to get the three points against Coventry City, but the only way to make last week's win a great win is if we follow that match up with another home win against Oldham Athletic Today, failing to build on last week's win against Coventry City means that we are constantly gouig forwards and backwards where as back to back home wins can make our league position look very different inside eight days.

Oldham Athletic have the most draws this season (ten in twenty four league games), this suggests that they are going to be very difficult to beat and even though Oldham Athletic are thirteenth in League One they are just two points behind Bradford City in Sixth, so they will be hoping to reach the playoffs this season - I also consider Oldham Athletic to be a stronger side then Coventry City this season so today's match will be even more difficult, fingers crossed Gillingham can make it back to home wins with a win today - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!!!

[fan_of_mulligan]

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/sport/cody-back-to-my-best-30601/

Cody McDonald is hoping to continue his prolific form in front of goal when Gillingham entertain Oldham on Saturday, Cody is enjoying one his best runs in a Gillingham shirt after scoring six goals in his last seven appearances.

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/sport/martin-face-fight-for-place-30603/

And Joe Martin is going to find it difficult to win his place back in the starting eleven at left back.

[gillsfan1066]

Another great win and we don't move a place up the table, marvelous bloody marvelous. Guess Scally has now decided we don't need a manager so I will throw my application away and wait till the end of season and apply then.
Well done the Big Blue Machine , now go put a hurt on Walsall next Sunday,come away with at least a point or three.
Hope they don't want that rubbish player Marquise back anytime soon off loan.

[Garawa]

Not sure what table you are looking at Chicago as I make it we are up 3 places to 16. Perhaps its another ESPN one?

[Garawa]

I said last week's game wasn't great and that people were getting carried away remembering the final 10 which was fine (glad to see others said the same today however). Today's game was much different, chances at both ends and a very frenetic game throughout. The ref gave some appalling decisions including 2 "fouls" when their player slipped on the turf and yet some horrendous fouls on our players went un-punished.

At 2-0 up after just 14 minutes we were cruising so why we conspired to throw it away I don't know. Dack got away with conceding a foul only to make sure it was given with a second trip on the same player a second later! Nelson seemed keen to earn an assist by playing (and losing) keep ball with a Dortmund player (I say Dortmund their away kit is horrific, a bit like Dortmund's after a nucleur accident)!! 2-2 after 23 minutes! With the 3 scored late in the last game it makes it 7 in just 32 minutes at Priestfield!

Marquis was superb today. His work rate was immense and he took his goals well and looked a danger all game. I like many was concerned at his lack of goals at sides he went to but he has 3 in 22 minutes for the club and scored the club's 3,000th goal at home in the Football League. A vital win given the run of fixtures we have coming up.

[Kent_UckyFriedGills]

This was my first game since Taylor has left,and I must say it was the most I have been entertained in a while.We started really quickly and got at them.Marquis putting us 1-0,and 2-0 up on 14 minutes with two calm finishes.We were cruising and looking like we could win this handsomely,but typical Gills we nearly blew the three points.Dack fouled one of their players and it wasn`t given,and seconds later fouled again in the area and the ref had no choice but to give the penalty.Nelson went the right way to save,but Oldham scored the rebound.The goal made us look nervous and a couple of minutes later a poor pass from Garmston went back to Nelson who misjudged it,went to fall on the ball and missed it so Oldham had an easy chance to score for 2-2.It was disappointing as it was our own fault for being pegged back.Oldham were a good passing side,but they were a moany side who were quite dirty at times.The second half we had to defend well,but we still looked for another goal and we got when Dack`s shot was deflected in.McGlashan and Dickenson`s arrival from the subs bench looked the key for the winner.Fresh pacy legs running at their tired defenders.It`s good that we have those options on the bench.It was a relief when the final whistle went,and back to back home wins was just what we needed.The attack minded set up seems to be bringing the best out of the players,and we have benefited from it certainly at home.

MOTM? John Marquis was outstanding.I heard good things last week,but he was like a younger Danny Kedwell and he put in a great shift for the Team,and scored two goals.

[gillsfan1066]

It was ,but in their defense I was racing out the door and the game had just finished, I flicked to the table and now I see obviously it had not been updated, I had visions of everyone in the bottom four or five all winning today, so not really there fault, at least 1 % was mine.