Let's Pack Priestfield and Make it 22 Unbeaten Against Harrogate

It feels like there's a proper buzz around ME7 this week, and for good reason. On Saturday, we welcome Harrogate Town to Priestfield, and it’s a massive one for us. We’re sitting top of the league and currently on a club-record 21-game unbeaten run. With no midweek game, the team has had a full week to rest up and get ready to go again.

The whole club is getting behind this one. Brad Galinson has called for a “giant party” and is backing the fan-led “Project 8000” to get the place bouncing. Best of all, they’ve reopened the The Brian Moore Stand with tickets for just a fiver to get as many of us in as possible. His wife, Shannon, even tweeted that she wants us to be so loud their TV rattles back in the US! It’s a brilliant time to be following the Gills, but let's not forget there’s still a job to do on the pitch come Saturday.

Record Run and Party Plans

The club is obviously enjoying the run but is rightly saying no one’s getting carried away with talk of promotion just yet. Managing director Joe Comper said the focus is on using this brilliant streak to create a massive atmosphere and to “gee the boys on to carry on this run.”

The Galinsons openly thanked fans like Warren Taylor, who got Project 8000 started, and put out the call: “Football for a fiver! Tell your family, tell your friends…let’s pack Priestfield!” And it’s worked a treat. By Thursday, the club had already announced that the Rainham End and the reopened Brian Moore Stand were completely sold out. It just shows you the feeling around the place at the moment.

On the team news front, we’ve got Garath McCleary back from his two-match ban, which is a great boost. The skipper, Armani Little, is back in light training too, though we’ll have to wait and see if he’s ready for the weekend. Suddenly, Gareth Ainsworth has some welcome selection headaches, which is a lot better than the injury problems we had earlier in the season. The feeling is that with a massive crowd behind them, the team will be desperate to keep this incredible run going.

The View from the Stands

As you’d expect, everyone’s buzzing online. You can see fans rallying their mates and family to take advantage of the £5 tickets, with loads of people determined to see all four sides of Priestfield packed out and roaring. When you think that we haven’t lost a league game since March, you can understand why the belief is so high.

Our new owners and the team's never-say-die attitude have really won everyone over. We’ve come from behind a few times recently, and it gives you real confidence that we’re never out of a game.

That said, a few of the old heads are reminding us not to get ahead of ourselves. The last time Harrogate came to Priestfield, back in November last year, they did a number on us and we lost 1-2. That result is still fresh in a few memories, and we all know the players need to stay professional despite the party atmosphere. Still, the overwhelming feeling is one of excitement, summed up perfectly by fan James Tingley on Twitter. He pointed out that with Harrogate making a long journey south, it’s a "real opportunity to pack all 4 sides of Priestfield, create a brilliant atmosphere and celebrate this record breaking team as we aim for 22 games unbeaten." That’s exactly what it’s about – getting behind the team and being the 12th man to help get the job done.

Harrogate Hoping to Spoil the Fun

Harrogate, known as the Sulphurites, will be looking to spoil the party. They’re managed by Simon Weaver, who’s been there for ages, and they currently sit 16th in the table.

They had a great result last weekend, beating a decent Shrewsbury side 2-0 at home. That win snapped a four-game losing streak, so they’ll be coming here with a bit of confidence back. We’ll need to watch their striker Conor McAleny, who they just signed from Salford and who got on the scoresheet last week. Veteran forward Jack Muldoon, who also scored, is always a handful too.

However, their away form is pretty ropey. They haven’t won on the road since the opening day of the season and got turned over 3-1 at Swindon in their last away trip. In fact, they’ve only scored 3 goals in 4 away league games all season. They’ve also had some injury issues at the back.

They’ll likely come here, sit deep, and try to frustrate us while looking to hit us on the break. They’ve shown before they can cause us problems, and with all the attention on our record run, all the pressure is on us. That makes them a dangerous opponent if we’re not right on it from the first whistle.

German Gills Prediciton

On paper, this is top versus lower mid-table, and with a packed house at Priestfield, everyone will be expecting a home win. Our home form has been immense, four wins from four in the league, with only one goal conceded.

Harrogate will make it tough, but I think the atmosphere and the confidence running through our squad will be too much for them. I can see Bradley Dack’s quality being the key to unlocking their defence, with Josh Andrews or Jonny Smith getting the goals. It might be tight for the first half-hour, but once we get the first, I think we’ll go on and win it comfortably.

Their lack of goals away from home and our solid defence and a solid Glenn Morris makes me think we can get a clean sheet too. All the signs point to the party continuing at Priestfield.

Score Prediction: Gillingham 2–0 Harrogate Town.