Wycombe Wanderers v Gillingham

THE gills
opposition view
Ahead of today’s League One clash, we spoke
to Gillingham fan Matt (@GillsInTheBlood)
about what we can expect from the visitors.
Gills currently sit 18th in
the League One table, with
a win, two draws and two
losses making up their last
five matches. Can you talk us
through some of those recent
results?
We’ve been decent on the whole
in that run in my opinion. In the
MK Dons defeat we actually took
the lead before a needless red
card ultimately cost us against a
very good side. The draws versus
both Charlton & Oxford saw us
playing very well in periods of
both games only a post stopped
us beating the Londoners. The
Cambridge win was comfortably
our most complete of the season,
and Saturday’s defeat at home to
Wigan was against a side who for
me will be right up there come
the end of the season.
Who are the key players in the
Gillingham squad this season?
The obvious one is Vadaine
Oliver, last season’s top scorer,
who has four in the league
already. Others to watch will be
the centre backs Jack Tucker
& Max Ehmer, the skipper Kyle
Dempsey & if fit, wide man
Mustapha Carayol.
What kind of football will Gills
look to play? How do you think
they’ll look to break down the
home side?
We will likely be fairly direct on
the whole, getting balls into our
front players as quick as possible
and playing from there. Once in
the final third the likes of Oliver,
Dempsey, Carayol and Danny
Lloyd will come alive and look to
get delivery into dangerous areas
or shots off at goal.
Despite having a number of
consistent League One goal
scorers in the squad, Evans’
side haven’t found the net that
easy to find in some matches.
Do you think the manager will
look to change anything against
Wycombe?
Our biggest problem so far this
season has been - at least until
the last two or three games - not
being able to select a settled
side. We lost three weeks of
pre-season due to COVID and
then plenty of players have had
niggling injuries which are still
not fully cleared up. At the start
of the season, we had midfielders
having to play as strikers, and
even Vadaine Oliver has had to
play while far from 100% at least
once already. On top of that
Mustapha Carayol - one of our
biggest creative outlets - has
missed the last few games with a
muscle problem. If we can get all
of those types of players on the
pitch together I’m confident the
goals will come, but I can’t see
Steve Evans changing too much
in terms of how he sets up the
team.
It was Gills who came out on top
the last time we met in 2019,
winning 2-0, but what’s your
prediction for Saturday?
That seems like a lifetime away
now doesn’t it after that season
being cut short and then having
to watch an entire campaign on
iFollow. There is no point dressing
this up as it being anything other
than another big task versus a
side who for me has a squad
capable of challenging at the top
end of the table. One thing that
gives us a chance is that you’ve
conceded over a goal a game so
far, but on the flip side of that
your home form is rock solid after
last weekend’s last gasp 4-3 win
over Morecambe. If I was offered
a draw right now I would happily
take it and run.
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