This is the 19th season we have started the campaign at home in the 3rd tier of the Football League. There have been 6 wins, 7 draws and 5 defeats.
Of the last 7 seasons in which we started with a home game, 5 ended in wins however the previous occasion (Colchester) ended in defeat.
It is dead even in the head-to-heads between the Gills and Sheffield Utd. Both have won 5 games at Priestfield and both have won 4 at Brammall Lane.
Sheffield Utd were the only club last season not to concede a goal in the opening 10 minutes of a league match.
Last season’s 2-0 win against Sheffield Utd ended a run of 3 straight defeats at home to the Yorkshire club and 5 games without a win.
Sheff Utd won 626 free-kicks last season (an average of 13.6 a game). It was 193 more than the Gills' total and 248 more than the side with the fewest (Chesterfield).
Attendances in games starting with a home match have been 6,792, 5,360, 5,655, 6,852, 6,075 and 7,293 (Colchester) in 2005.
3:00
Kick-Off
3:06
GOAL! Gillingham 1-0 Sheffield Utd: Norris
3:43
GOAL! Gillingham 2-0 Sheffield Utd: Oshilda
3:48
Half-time: 2-0
3:53
The Gills led at half time in 4 of their 27 home games last season, half the number of leads earned at the break in their away games!
3:58
Despite finishing 5th in L1 last season, only Colchester led fewer games at half time than Sheff Utd however Utd didn't lose any of those 9.
4:05
The second half resumes.
4:25
Today's attendance is 7,511. In the corresponding fixture last season, Utd brought 781 fans in a crowd of 5,704.
4:42
GOAL! Gillingham 3-0 Sheffield Utd: Egan
Own goal scored by Neill Collins but awarded to John Egan.
4:53
GOAL! Gillingham 4-0 Sheffield Utd: Dack
4:55
Full-time: 4-0
Attendance 7,511 (1,832)
Referee: Lee Collins