Now, here’s some expert punditry available to you for free: keep the ball and keep the ball out of our goal for more than 15 minutes. If we take it from there, things will start to move into place. We’ve been somewhat unlucky with chances not going in over Christmas – now the New Year is here, our luck is about to change and the ball will find the opposition goal – when it does, someone will cop a beating and we’ll be on the mend.
All things must pass, and therefore all bad runs must end. We’ve never beaten Gillingham in a league game and only Peterborough have picked up less points than us in the previous 10 league games. Adebayo Akinfenwa will no doubt cause us problems at the back with his powerful frame, but it seems the Gills do like conceding a headed goal so perhaps we ought to rough them up at the back with balls in from the flanks.
Who plays then? David Gray and Sam Wedgbury deserve another chance; Peter Hartley is hopefully available to occupy the left back spot; and Jordan Burrow up front with Francois Zoko. Greg Tansey and Michael Doughty in the midfield for us… have we missed anything? No? Well then, let’s go grasp the candle of 2014 and bang on – the only way for Boro’ is up! There’s no real evidence for it, but it is scientific fact.
[expand title=”REFEREE WATCH”]
Andy D’Urso – a man who has Premier League refereeing experience to his name but has spent most of his recent time in the Football League. On three previous occasions has the Essex man spent an afternoon with Boro’ – and the bad news is that we’re yet to come out on top if he’s the man in control. He sent off Darius Charles in a defeat to Northampton in 2010 – but that’s only one of three cards he’s ever shown our lads.
This season for Andy D’Urso:
Games: 18 — Yellow: 60 (3.3pg), Red: 5
Our record under Andy D’Urso:
P3 W0 D2 L1 F4 A5 — Yellow: 2, Red: 1[/expand]
[expand title=”FIFA14 VERDICT”]
Boro’ Line-Up:
Day; Gray, Ashton, Jones, Hartley; Wedgbury, Doughty, Tansey, Freeman; Burrow, Zoko
We kept things simple for the visit of Gillingham – and of course, it is the third successive game in which we have selected Peter Hartley so we’re hoping that this time is one where we’re proved correct. As for the match, Boro’ were in control pretty much throughout but the goal remained untouched throughout. Gills offered nothing that we couldn’t deal with – alas our efforts didn’t prove too testing for them, either.
FT: Stevenage 0-0 Gillingham
[/expand]
[expand title=”BOOKIE BASHING”]
For a risk-free £10 wager, sign up with Titan Bet! There’s 72 markets open on Stevenage v Gillingham, with a home win priced at time of writing at 21/20. We’ve traded goals before and that makes Under 2.5 goals an attractive evens. Both teams to score is 11/20, but you can put that into clearer terms if you fancy a 2-1 home win at 8s. If you think you can find better prices elsewhere, other outlets are available…
[/expand]