Football returns to the Wham Stadium on Saturday afternoon, as Accrington Stanley face Gillingham.
Stanley will be looking to make amends for their humbling 4-0 loss to Plymouth. Such a heavy defeat felt harsh to many, with even Argyle manager Steven Schumacher admitting that his side did not deserve such a big win.
“We have to snap out of this because it is a recipe of disaster when you give stupid goals away and we miss gilt-edged chances at the other end,” said Stanley manager John Coleman.
“We seem to find a way to gift goals to teams and not take the chances we get.”
It will be vital for Stanley to bounce back with a win, especially against Gillingham, who are floundering just one point above the relegation zone.
Both teams are on similar runs of form, however, with both the Gills and Stanley only winning two of their last five games.
To make things trickier for the Lancashire side, they will be missing first choice goalkeeper Toby Savin after the 20-year-old was sent off against Plymouth. It is expected that young keeper Josh Isherwood will take his place.
As for Gillingham, they will be at full strength.
The Gills will be travelling up to Accrington with every hope of taking away points to put some distance between them and the relegation zone and will be looking to striker Vadaine Oliver to provide the goals.
The Yorkshire born target man has bagged nine goals in 35 appearances so far this season and was a constant threat in Gillingham’s last game against Sheffield Wednesday.
Stanley on the other hand will be hoping 33-year-old Sean McConville will be able to add to his impressive tally of 13 assists, the highest in League one this season.
It has been a tough run of form for the Lancashire side lately, seeing two 4-0 losses in the last four games, seeing their goal difference plummet to –16.
Defending has been a real struggle for Coleman’s side. Their last clean sheet was as far back as 8 February, in their game against Oxford United which they won 1-0.
Gillingham, on the other hand, have massively struggled for goals, scoring only 29 across their 39 games, the second lowest in the league behind fellow relegation candidates Doncaster Rovers.
It is the perfect game for accrington Stanley to dust themselves off and build for a strong end of the season, but fo Gillingham this game will feel like a must win as they try to fend off the drop.
