The Official Shrewsbury Town Match Thread (Sponsored by a rebound off Andy Barcham "for all your promotion-winning corner needs")

Gills make the longish trip to Shropshire this weekend, still clinging onto that final play-off place, even though the team remains noticeably out of sorts on the pitch, despite being undefeated across our last three league fixtures.

Whilst Gills' form in the last two months has been decidedly poor (six points from 24), tomorrow's opponents, Shrewsbury, are finally on a slow upward trajectory following a dreadful start back in the basement division which saw them take just six points from their opening 11 matches. The Shrews' last six games have seen them earn 10 points, lifting them out of the relegation zone, all three victories in that time coming at New Meadow. Michael Appleton's side have found goals hard to come by this season, with 15 scored in 17 games. Three players head their scoring charts with just two goals apiece with former Gills loanee John Marquis, having found the net once in the league from 16 appearances.

Gills' squad for tomorrow is boosted by the return of Elliot Nevitt following suspension and injury. Definitely absent are the usual suspects, Conor Masterson and Euan Williams, the former apparently back in training, the latter having made just 13 appearances in his injury-ravaged spell with the club. Glenn Morris is closing in on a return to action, while Andy Smith remains absent with a short-term injury. Young Watford loanee Travis Akomeah, plus our own young defender Logan Dobbs, who has this week been recalled from his loan spell at Tonbridge, will provide defensive back-up.

Gareth Ainsworth looks to be back in the dugout for us tomorrow and what an appropriate location to road-test his enhanced ticker given his acrimonious departure from the Shrews at the back end of last season. A quick glance at social media indicates that a sizeable proportion of the Shrews' fanbase have yet to dry their tears from Ainsworth's departure to join a demonstrably bigger club, so he'll be in for a rough reception from the home fans tomorrow, with Gills sizeable away support backing him and the team and generating a lively atmosphere.

The head to head shows this fixture dating back to 1951 and the first meeting between the sides in Division 3 (South), a 2-2 draw at the old Gay Meadow. In the subsequent 70 fixtures, Shrews have the advantage with 26 wins to Gills' 20, although the more important fixtures, such as the promotion clash at Priestfield in 1978/79 and the 2008/09 Play-off Final thirty years later, have gone the way of Gills. Our record at the New Meadow isn't great, with just one win from 11 visits, although both sides have shared the points on six occasions. The less said about the defeats, the better... For the highlights it's a short hop back in time to 2016-17 when Gills turned round a two goal deficit with barely half an hour remaining to win 3-2, JET with a brace while he was still making even a modicum of effort and everyone's favourite scapegoat, Max Ehmer, with a last minute winner.

It's a step into the unexpected tomorrow, as previously mentioned, the Shrews have won their last three on the bounce at home and we've looked ponderous at the back and fairly toothless up front for a good while. There is also the added element of the circus surrounding the return of GA potentially impacting proceedings. We need to start the game as we did earlier in the season, right in their faces from the off, chasing and harrying everything, looking to force errors. We've been too slow to start in recent times allowing the opposition to dominate and score the first goal in six of our last eight league fixtures. Shrewsbury are not in 22nd place for nothing, and if we are to maintain any ambition of promotion/play-off tilt, this is the sort of fixture where you want to be returning home with at least a point.

Safe travels to all those Gills making the trip tomorrow, especially given the foul weather, I pity anyone that's ended up with tickets in the first few rows of the away end given the forecast.

Enjoy the game and...

COYG!!!