Gills seek revenge against wounded Lions
Published: 00:00, 11 September 2006
Gillingham v Millwall
GILLINHAM will be out for revenge tonight when they welcome near-neighbours Millwall to Priestfield.
Millwall knocked the Gills out of the Carling Cup last month and striker Darren Byfield will be keen to make a point on his return to Priestfield for the League 1 clash.
Byfield, who moved to The Den in the summer after being Gillingham’s top scorer last season, has just returned from a lengthy ankle injury and a shot-shy Millwall side will be desperate for him to get back to full fitness.
Gillingham beat Doncaster 2-1 on Saturday after a battling display and Jepson will need to re-shuffle his side ahead of the match.
Jepson said: “We’ll have a head count as I’ve got a few bruised and bashed bodies in my squad at the moment so we’ll have to assess that.
“We’ve got two home games on the spin and hopefully we can get something out of them.”
Left-back Danny Jackman misses tonight’s match after receiving a red card during Saturday’s win at Doncaster.
His two bookings during the match, one for a foul and the second for a handball, saw him sent-off at Belle Vue and he serves a one-match ban.
Brent Sancho will be assessed today after being substituted in that game with a leg injury, after colliding with teammate Duncan Jupp.
Clint Easton is likely to come in for the suspended Jackman, while Leon Johnson will be on standby should Sancho be ruled out.
Scott Flinders, who made his debut in goal on Saturday, looks likely to keep his place as Darren Randolph has a foot injury, while fellow-keeper Kelvin Jack continues to be sidelined with a knee problem.
Millwall were beaten by Brighton on Saturday which saw them slip to second from bottom in League 1.
Their manager Nigel Spackman has had enough and has promised changes ahead of tonight’s visit.
He said: “This is hurting me. I hope it hurts the players and I know it does the supporters.
“The time has come for a change and there will be changes tonight. There may be a surprise or two.
“We have to play with energy tonight and have players who are capable of coming on from the bench and changing the game if necessary.
“Gillingham are a strong, resilient side who had a very good win at Doncaster on Saturday, so we have to go there and take the game to them.”
Kick-off tonight is at 7.45pm.
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Luke Cawdell