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Match Previews

Three to Watch: Gillingham

26 April 2018

Match Previews

Three to Watch: Gillingham

26 April 2018

Take a look at the potential threats in the ranks of Gillingham F.C.

Sitting in 17th position in the league, Gillingham currently have a four-point cushion between themselves and the relegation places.

A run of good results around January navigated the Gills away from danger, but a run of eight games in without a win means that Steve Lovell's side aren't yet mathematically safe from relegation heading into the final two games of the season.

Below are three players that could cause a threat to Rovers come 3pm Saturday afternoon.

Tom Eaves - Striker

The 6'5 striker is Gillingham's top-scorer this season, with fourteen goals to his name in all competitions.

Rovers fans will recall the forward enjoying a loan spell at the Mem back in the 2012/13, where he found the net on seven occasions, capturing a brace in a 3-2 victory over Torquay United at the Mem.

After his spell at Rovers ended, Eaves took in temporary spells at Shrewsbury, Rotherham, Yeovil and Bury, before signing at Huish Park on a one-year deal in July 2016.

A return of seven goals over the course of the season at Yeovil put the striker on the radar of Gillingham, with Eaves making the switch to Priestfield in June 2017.

This season the striker opened his account with a hat-trick in a 3-3 draw with Southend and progressed to score four goals in seven outings between October and November.

Eaves has added six goals to his tally since the start of 2018, with his late strike coming in a 1-1 draw at Oldham earlier this month.

Mark Byrne - Midfield

The tenacious midfielder has been a constant feature of the Gillingham side this term.

Byrne arrived at Preistfield from Newport County in June 2016 and progressed to make thirty-five appearances in his first full season with the Gills.

The midfielder has already past his appearances tally from last campaign and has scored four goals, with two of them coming in Gillingham's victory over Rovers back in December.

Josh Parker - Striker

Behind Eaves in the Gillingham top-scorers list, twenty-seven-year-old Josh Parker has eleven goals in all competitions so far this season.

Starting his career at QPR, the forward took in loan spells at AFC Wimbledon, Northampton Town and Wycombe Wanderers while at Loftus Road, before being released by the London club after they won promotion to the Premier League.

Brief spells at both Oldham and Oxford followed before the striker headed to Slovenia for stints at both Domžale and Red Star Belgrade.

The striker signed for Gillingham in January 2017 and made an instant impact on his debut, coming off the bench to score a 95th-minute equaliser against Port Vale.

This season, the striker bagged his first goal in Checkatrade Trophy encounter with Southend and hit a fine run of form between October and November, scoring four goals in three games against Rotherham, Leyton Orient and Bury.

Parker found the net when Rovers visited Preistfield in December and in recent weeks has scored during important wins over Charlton, Scunthorpe and Northampton.


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