Gareth Ainsworth is relishing the challenge of achieving something no Gillingham manager has done in eight years.
The Gills make the trip north to play Fleetwood – a club that has had the upper hand over the Kent side in recent seasons.
Gillingham haven’t beaten Fleetwood in their last eight meetings, and last won there on a Friday night in late December 2017.
Ainsworth loves a challenge, and against a Fleetwood side who have been strong at home this season, a win there on Saturday would be a fine result.
“I pride myself on breaking records and breaking challenges,” said the Gills boss.
“It’s about time that the Gills fans saw them win at Fleetwood and I’ll try and make that happen Saturday.”
Goals from Josh Parker and Tom Eaves landed the Gills an early Christmas present in 2017, with a 2-0 win.
In the last eight meetings between the sides, Fleetwood have won four, and there have been four draws.
The two teams head into this match joint on points in the League 2 table.
Ainsworth said: “It’s going to be a trek the Friday before Christmas, so we’re setting off early, we’re going to make provisions where we’re not going to be sitting on a bus all day. It could be a bit chaotic.
“We’ve done a lot of the prep this week. We’re confident we can take a team up there that’s going to bring back the points.
“I think we’re the least beaten team in the league, along with a couple of others, which is crazy, but I just want to turn a few of these draws into wins now. That would be important.
“We are hard to beat. We’re organised. We defend well and the boys never say die.
“We let ourselves down a little bit (in the second half last Saturday). I was toying with myself about formations and substitutions and things like that after the game, as you always do. I’ll take as much blame as the players but we’ll do it collectively and we’ll go again on Saturday. It’s going to be a tough game.
“This league, this year, is as close as I’ve seen it for a long, long time. It really is.
“We’re in amongst it with Fleetwood and Cambridge and Chesterfield and all that. I was speaking to Andy Hessenthaler the other day and we both say at the end of January, you sort of know where you’re going to be, what you’re fighting for.
“We want to be amongst it and we’ve got to pick up points on the road. Forms been okay. We’re not getting beat. A win and a loss is better than two draws but the mental side, is brilliant, that we’re hard to beat, but I want to go and win some games.”
