Will Gills fans be celebrating at the final whistle this afternoon?

by Martin Jefferies

Thousands of Gillingham fans will pile into Priestfield this afternoon, hoping their side can cause an upset by knocking high-flying Stoke City out of the FA Cup.

Today's third round tie is the club's first sell-out home game of the season and marks the first time a team from football's top tier has played at the stadium for more than two years.

It is also notable for the return of Tony Pulis, the former Gills manager, who has helped lift Stoke to their current eighth place in the Premier League.

The last top division side to play at Priestfield was Blackburn Rovers, who were drawn against the Gills in the second round of the Carling Cup in August 2009.

The vast majority of the 10,000-plus supporters expected in the ground this afternoon will be keen to avoid a repeat of that result – a 3-1 defeat that put them out of the competition.

Fans queued outside Priestfield for up to two hours to get their hands on tickets for today's clash when they went on sale last month.

The club's ticket hotline was also swamped with enquiries.

For more on the build-up to the big match, listen to kmfm's special report below.

You can also follow all the action with our Kent Matchday Live service, which will have regular updates from Prestfield from 2.45pm.

kmfm reporter Jess Banham previews today's FA Cup clash between Gillingham and Stoke