Tranmere head into Saturday on a run of three games unbeaten after their recent 1-1 draw with Hartlepool United, but Rovers face another difficult task against a team below them in the league as they travel to Kent to face Gillingham.
A period of decline for Rovers looked on the cards after a flat display brought a 2-0 home defeat to Mansfield, but their fortunes have changed round drastically after a string of good results, which has seen Tranmere climb to the cusp of the play-offs.
Gillingham’s form of late has been impressive, with former Cardiff and Millwall manager Neil Harris bringing them from a perilous position of one of the league’s whipping boys, to now sitting 21st and have a slight cushion between them and 23rd place Crawley.
Here’s some insight into the two sides and what both teams can expect.
Players To Watch
George Lapslie (Gillingham)
Lapslie has been instrumental for the Gills since his recent arrival from Mansfield Town, with him chipping in plenty of times.
He featured in 25 matches for the promotion chasing Mansfield, netting on five occasions and assisting five times. This form can give a glimpse into what he was like as a Stags’ man for the three years he was there, showing that as a midfielder he had an eye for goal.
He’s joined Gillingham and has netted twice, so his threat from the centre of the park could be key to swing the tie in the Gills’ favour.
Josh Hawkes (Tranmere Rovers)
Josh Hawkes could prove pivotal down the wing if Tranmere are looking to return to winning ways on Saturday.
Hawkes has netted eight times in 34 outings for Rovers, three of which have come since the turn of the year and he netted the goal which brought Tranmere back into the game on Saturday against Hartlepool.
Boss, Micky Mellon will be hoping for a repeat of his recent form, if so, Gillingham will have to be at their best to keep him quiet.
Speaking ahead of the game, Hawkes previewed the task ahead.
“We’ll be going to Gillingham trying to get the three points. The teams down the bottom, they have a squad that shouldn’t really be down there, it will be a tough game but I’m sure we can hopefully get the win.”
Past results
2022-23: Tranmere 2-0 Gillingham
2019-20: Tranmere 2-2 Gillingham
2013-14: Gillingham 2-0 Tranmere
- Tranmere 1-2 Gillingham
2009-10: Gillingham 0-1 Tranmere
Managers
Neil Harris (Gillingham)
The experienced Neil Harris has taken the reigns in Kent, and has spearheaded a side that looked doomed to be in a relegation scrap at the end of the season.
Harris has experience at Millwall, transitioning from player to manager and guiding the club from the depths of League One to a handful of points from the Championship play-offs. His pedigree was at a high and then Harris took over Cardiff City who were, at the time, recently relegated from the Premier League, but he never had the desired impact as he was sacked with the club just above the bottom three.
His stock had plummeted and now he joins the Gills to attempt to keep a once solid League One outfit in the Football League, and he’s recently steered them away from relegation trouble, but he’ll be hoping to keep it going for a prolonged period of time.
Micky Mellon (Tranmere Rovers)
Scottish manager Micky Mellon is into his second spell as Tranmere Rovers manager, and is under pressure with a barren run of results.
After leaving sunny Scotland for the wonderful Wirral in 2021, he was on course to take Tranmere back to League One after being in the promotion places for most of last campaign, but a string of poor results saw Rovers slip out of the promotion spots before tumbling out of the play-offs, ending the season in 9th position.
This season was meant to be Mellon’s attempt at reigniting Tranmere’s promotion push and after many topsy turvy runs – 3 wins in 18 games and a 5 game winning streak to name a few – has seen the Super White Army slip into mid-table mediocrity and questionable tactics and an inability to obtain three points in crucial encounters has seen fans often call for his sacking. On a positive note, the league’s compact nature meams that three points could see them realistically touching 7th spot, so a run of good form is now crucial for Tranmere if their aim remains promotion.