Gillingham boss Neil Harris has issued a rallying call for the Priestfield faithful to pack the ground out for their Easter Monday six-pointer against Fleetwood Town which will go a long way to determining what League The Gills are in come August.
For the Gills even to be in this position going into the Easter home game is an amazing achievement in itself for Harris and his thread bare squad especially when you remember that when he first walked into Priestfield at the end of January, even the most die hard Gills fans were all but resigned to being in League Two come August.
Yet this Easter Sunday following the 2-2 draw at Cheltenham on Good Friday, the survival hopes are completely with those dressed in blue and black – to put it bluntly, if the Gills were to win their last three games, they will be a League One side next season and there’s nothing anyone else can do about it.
Without doubt, THE most important game is the next one especially as Fleetwood arrive at Priestfield a point behind the Gills but do have a game in hand. Victory won’t guarantee safety but with Crewe already down, Doncaster teetering on the very edge and AFC Wimbledon on the club’s worst winless run in their history, it seems likely that it will be one of Morecambe, Fleetwood and The Gills who will slip through the trap door.
Speaking ahead of the Easter Monday showdown after the Good Friday draw, Harris had a promise for the faithful who will hopefully pack Priestfield after the club launched the #packthepriestfield drive – he told the media, “My players will be ready, and that’s the importance of it. They’ll have a calm manager that picks the team, and hopefully, the right team and the right tactics and formation to play against Fleetwood.”
Reflecting on the short turn round between two such crucial games, the boss has had his players in across the Easter weekend. Again, speaking after the Cheltenham draw, the manager admitted, “The medical department will be busy, and we’re in all weekend. Sometimes you’re best leaving players at home for a day, but when you’ve got a quick turnaround like this you need your eyes on the players.”
“We will do a head count, and there will be a player or two that won’t be with us Monday.”
Picture supplied by Gillingham Football Club.