Winning territory?

Based on early season form, Tranmere will arrive at Priestfield on Saturday, a different prospect to the side Gillingham beat in February

Originally published in Gills Journal by David Tickner.

After two games on the road and the drama of last weekend's trip to Greater Manchester, where Gillingham turned promising attacking play into a convincing 4-1 victory at Rochdale, The Gills return to Priestfield for back-to-back home fixtures against opponents who have both made positive starts to the season.

Since their late collapse against Walsall on the opening day, Gillingham have become increasingly difficult to beat. Sustained defensive performances helped Gareth Ainsworth's side earn draws against Fleetwood, Northampton and Chesterfield. They then produced their most complete performance of the season at Rochdale racing to a 3-0 second-half lead before the home side were reduced to ten players. The Gills come home unbeaten in their last four league matches.

Despite expressing frustration at dropping points in the most recent home game against Northampton, Ainsworth believes his side are on ‘a great run’ and is now focused on turning Priestfield into ‘winning territory’. Acknowledging that the stadium has not yet become the fortress, he wants it to be, the manager has again laid his claim that ‘This is my team now.’

A very different Tranmere

The first visitors this Saturday are Tranmere Rovers, who appear a very different proposition to the side Gillingham faced last season. They finished last season, under interim manager Pete Wild, narrowly avoiding relegation by just two points after losing 25 of their 46 league matches.

Their recent history has been one of gradual decline. Having returned to the EFL in 2018, successive promotions took them into League One a year later, but their stay at that level ended when the curtailed 2019/20 season was decided on a points-per-game basis. Although they reached the League Two play-offs in 2020/21, Tranmere have finished progressively lower in each of the five seasons since, slipping from ninth in 2021/22 to 21st last term.

This season, under Darrell Clarke and after a substantial summer rebuild, they are unbeaten and currently sit fourth in League Two with nine points from their five games. Both of their victories have come at home, but they are yet to win on the road this season.

Their two away games have both finished level, although in very different circumstances. At Port Vale, defender Bobby Faulkner spent much of the second half in goal after Harrison Male was injured before Tom Ince rescued a point.

At Newport, Rovers came from behind to lead 2-1 only to concede a 90th-minute equaliser. Perhaps a sign of vulnerability late in games, Rovers suffered an even later frustration against Rotherham. Ince had restored their lead in the 87th minute before Faulkner was sent off and a 96th-minute Tom Bradshaw penalty turned victory into another draw.

Can Gillingham make pressure count?

Clarke admitted this week: ‘I don't want to be in a situation where we're having to defend our box as much as we are.’ That may offer encouragement to a Gillingham side whose attacking numbers this season have often exceeded their goal return. The Gills have registered more shots on target than their opponents in four of their five league games, but until last weekend had scored only twice. At Rochdale, six shots on target yielded four goals. If that improvement in finishing can be sustained, Saturday could provide another test of Tranmere's defence.

Different problems with availability

There has been mixed news about injuries. Having damaged both hamstrings, Zech Obiero is out for several weeks joining Liam Gordon, Kadeem Harris and others on the sidelines. Ainsworth said that Saturday’s injury to Will Goodwin was ‘nowhere near what we thought it was’ and that he could even be in contention for Saturday, while Zane Albarus is getting closer to a return.

By contrast, Clarke revealed he has a fully fit squad, with goalkeeper Harrison Male back available.

Offsetting some of the pain of The Gills’ injury list, Ainsworth highlighted the emergence of Logan Dobbs and Harry Waldock who have gone from being regarded as peripheral youngsters to establishing themselves as first-team players. The squad has been further boosted by the deadline day arrival of Eli King from Cardiff City who Ainsworth described as ‘sensational’ at Rochdale.

New manager

The difference between Tranmere’s recent seasons and the start of this one is not simply form. Clarke took over as manager on a two-year deal in May. He arrived with a reputation for promotion including consecutively with Bristol Rovers in 2015 and 2016, and from League Two with Port Vale in 2022. On taking the Tranmere job, he said he wanted a team that ‘works hard, competes with intensity and gives the fans something to believe in.’

Experience at the heart of the rebuild

Clarke has rebuilt the squad over the summer making some enviable signings with proven experience at higher levels including Tom Ince and Will Vaulks along with promising younger arrivals like George Nevett, Zane Okoro and Jacob Slater.

The experienced Ince, 34, arrived on a two-year deal from Watford, where he made 27 appearances and scored four goals in the Championship last season. With more than 500 senior league appearances to his name, he provides proven attacking quality and has already contributed two goals and an assist in his five league starts for Tranmere. Clarke this week described him as ‘outstanding since he's joined us’, highlighting not only his ability but also his work rate and the distances he covers for the team.

Ince is complemented in Tranmere’s midfield by the more defensively inclined Will Vaulks, 32, returning to what he has called his ‘boyhood club’. He joined from Oxford United and made 39 appearances in the Championship last season. He has also played more than 600 senior games and won seven Wales caps.

Dylan Jones has returned to Tranmere for a second loan spell from Norwich City after last season's stay was cut short by injury. Describing himself as a striker who likes to play on the shoulder of defenders and run in behind, the 22-year-old has quickly made up for lost time, scoring twice already this season and emerging as one of Rovers' early form players.

In making Tranmere more difficult to beat this season, Clarke has favoured a 4-2-3-1 formation in most League games with Vaulks helping provide the deeper platform and Ince, Jones and Okoro, who has already scored twice this season, among the attacking options ahead. Tranmere’s nine League goals have come from six different scorers. The goal threat is therefore multiple rather than singular.

Recent meetings

Last season’s fixture between the two sides at Priestfield took place in very different circumstances with both sides in the bottom half of the table. Gills won 2-1 thanks to a brace from Ronan Hale on his full home debut. Charlie Whitakerscored Tranmere’s consolation on his way to being Rovers’ top scorer for the season with 13 goals in all competitions.

The game was also notable for Zech Obiero's Tranmere debut after joining Rovers on loan from Leyton Orient. Seven months later he finds himself on the other side of the fixture, albeit sidelined by injury on his Gills’ debut last weekend.

The earlier meeting at Prenton Park had finished 1-1 with a scrappy Joe Gbode goal rescuing Gillingham in the 92nd minute and an even later red card for Max Clark.

Verdict

If Gills can sustain and build on recent improvements as well as fulfilling their manager’s ambition to give home fans something to cheer, they are likely to be hard to beat even without a fully fit squad. Their defence has looked much more secure since the start of the season. Last weekend’s win should provide confidence in their attacking capabilities.

Tranmere should not be anticipated as they were last season. They are unbeaten in the League this season but have not yet won on the road and can be prone to conceding late in games.

Prediction: Gillingham 2-1 Tranmere Rovers

David Tickner writes regularly about Gillingham Football Club on Substack. You can read, follow or subscribe for free at Gills Journal | David Tickner | Substack.