Gillingham v Port Vale preview

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Joe Pigott is in contention to make his Gillingham debut at home to Port Vale but fellow new signing Gary Borrowdale is not expected to be ready.

Striker Pigott has arrived on an initial month-long loan deal from Charlton while versatile defender Borrowdale has penned a short-term agreement until the end of the season, although he is currently short of match fitness.

Jack Marriott will not be available after parent club Ipswich recalled the striker from his loan spell at Priestfield following just one substitute appearance.

Chris Whelpdale (ankle), Charlie Lee (knee) and Danny Kedwell (hernia) remain sidelined.

Port Vale manager Micky Adams is unlikely to make sweeping changes to the side beaten by Brighton when the Valiants travel to Gillingham.

Adam Yates is expected to start at left-back because Carl Dickinson will complete a two-match suspension. Yates came on as a half-time replacement last Saturday for Rob Taylor who suffered a recurrence of his thigh injury. Dan Jones has resumed training after a foot injury but having been out since December 21 Yates should get the nod.

On-loan Sunderland midfielder Billy Knott could make his debut but leaving out Jennison Myrie-Williams, Chris Lines, Anthony Griffith or Doug Loft would be a tough call so the 21-year-old may start on the bench.

Joe Davis comes back into the reckoning having been ineligible for the FA Cup defeat to Brighton but fellow defenders Liam Chilvers (groin) and Richard Duffy (ankle) remain out, although both are progressing well in their recoveries.

Gillingham v Port Vale preview

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Martin Allen has a fully-fit Gillingham squad at his disposal.

The Gills have won their last two games without conceding a goal and named the same starting XI for both games, but Allen has claimed that he will make changes for the fixture that would see his side knocked off top spot with a defeat.

Top scorer Danny Kedwell – who has 11 goals in all competitions – could be recalled to the side as he looks to find the net for the first time since November 3.

Steven Gregory could be handed a full debut after signing from Bournemouth at the beginning of the month, while Charlie Lee and Charlie Allen are other midfield options.

Striker Ben Strevens is still in Allen’s thoughts despite being made available for transfer and could be in the squad.

Port Vale boss Micky Adams faces a selection dilemma ahead of his side’s top-of-the-table clash.

After signing experienced duo Darren Purse and Lee Hughes this week, Adams must decide whether or not to change a winning team.

Liam Chilvers played the last game of his initial loan spell during last weekend’s 4-0 home win over Plymouth, but the central defender’s stay at Vale Park was extended on Thursday.

He is expected to keep his place in the team but Adams gave little away regarding the involvement of defender Purse or striker Hughes.

“I’ll consider my options, but the important thing is we have them,” Adams told the media in his pre-match press conference.

“We now have good options and can use different styles. We’ve got a real mixture there, particularly in terms of front play. We can mix it at any given moment against any given team.”

Chris Birchall is another option for Adams after making his first appearance since rejoining the club as a second-half substitute against Plymouth.

Defender John McCombe will not travel as he is expected to be out for several weeks after tweaking his medial ligament on New Year’s Day. Louis Dodds is another who will miss out after picking up an injury this week in training.

Gillingham v Port Vale preview

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Gillingham have a host of defensive problems heading into the home clash.

Garry Richards (thigh), Danny Jackman (knee) and Matt Fish (hip) all require late fitness tests after sustaining injuries in Tuesday’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy defeat to Barnet, while captain Andy Frampton – the fourth member of Gills’ backline in midweek – definitely misses out with a calf injury.

Fellow defender Barry Fuller (knee) continues to be sidelined but Andy Hessenthaler could be handed some respite with Joe Martin (calf) rated as 50/50 as he looks to make his return.

Hessenthaler will weigh up his options before deciding whether to recall Simon King from his loan at Plymouth to cover.

Elsewhere, Lewis Montrose misses out as he serves an automatic one-match suspension having picked up his fifth booking of the season in midweek, and he joins fellow midfielders Danny Spiller (ankle) and Jack Payne (knee) as well as striker Adam Birchall (knee) in the stands.

Aside from Martin’s potential comeback, there is some good news for Hessenthaler as midfielder Charlie Lee returns from suspension and striker Danny Kedwell is expected to be fit having sat out training on Thursday with a chest problem.

Port Vale will be without on-loan Rangers striker Andrew Little for their visit to the Gills – the place where manager Micky Adams began his playing career.

The 22-year-old will be absent because of international commitments, having been called up by Northern Ireland for Friday’s Euro 2012 qualifier against Estonia and the clash with Italy four days later.

Marc Richards will again lead the line after returning from suspension to score both goals in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Rotherham last weekend.

Goalkeeper Stuart Tomlinson is also a certain starter after impressing in his last two matches having replaced Chris Martin.

Lee Collins’ spell on the sidelines is to continue after the defender underwent an operation on his injured groin on Tuesday.

Gillingham v Port Vale preview

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Gillingham boss Andy Hessenthaler will be without forward Dennis Oli and midfielder Jack Payne for the visit of title contenders Port Vale.

Oli continues to struggle with a hamstring problem despite a nine-minute cameo against Macclesfield last time out, while 19-year-old Payne is out after suffering ankle damage in training whilst working his way back to fitness from a broken foot.

The Gills will also be without defender Tony Sinclair, who faces six weeks on the sidelines after it was discovered during a precautionary scan that he had a broken foot, while midfielder Chris Palmer is struggling with a knee problem.

However, Adebayo Akinfenwa may shake off a groin injury to play his part as Gillingham look to extend a run of three consecutive wins – all on the road – which has seen them move away from the relegation zone in League Two.

Port Vale manager Micky Adams will make a late check on defender Gareth Owen before the trip to Gillingham.

Owen was forced off after only 30 minutes of the 1-0 defeat to Morecambe two-and-a-half weeks ago, but could recover in time to feature in the squad.

However, highly-rated Lee Collins replaced Owen at the Globe Arena on his return from shin splints and will be vying for a starting berth this time out, leaving Adams with a decision to make.

Vale have no other injury or suspension worries as they attempt to regain the form that saw them go unbeaten in 11 games previous to the defeat.

Winger Lewis Haldane is pushing for a place in the starting line-up following his lively substitute appearance against the the Shrimps.