The Hat-Trick: 3 burning questions ahead of Fleetwood Town v Gillingham

It's the first of many long hauls to the North West for the Gills this season, and they'll look to kick off that run with a morale-boosting victory following our late collapse against Walsall at Priestfield on opening day.

Here are the three pre-match questions we hope to get answered by 5pm on Saturday afternoon.

After a defeat like the one the team suffered last weekend, you could forgive a manager for wanting to tighten things up, be more defensive, and look to battle it out for a point on the road.

Keeping it tight will certainly be the mantra in our own defensive third, but after last weekend's encouraging display going forward, it's important that the team builds on that. That will mean a high press, fast breaks on the counter, and taking chances when they come.

Ronan Hale looked sharp last week, and Will Goodwin got himself into good positions, too, but it's important we don't leave them isolated up front with no service. If we can create the sort of chances away from home that we mustered at home last week, a good result on the road could be a distinct possibility.

With Liam Gordon injured, and after some less-than-stellar performances from some of the players who played the full 90, it's clear that there's work to be done to shore things up at the back.

With Ainsworth running a 3-4-2-1 formation last week, it will be interesting to see if he sticks with that shape on the road. But more importantly, he needs to make sure we're much more solid as a unit.

Andy Smith was caught napping for our first goal, while Robbie McKenzie didn't cover himself in glory, either. Both men could well find themselves involved on Saturday, and will need to be significantly sharper in our own box.

McKenzie is one option to come into the back three, with the midfielder having some of his better displays in that role last term. But the option that offers perhaps the most intrigue is that of Conor McManus.

The Irishman can play on the left of a three, at left back, or at left wing-back, which would allow Ainsworth to tweak his defensive formation on the fly, if the situation called for it.

Right wing-back is also up for debate, too. Nick Freeman played there on Saturday and did an OK job, though he got beaten for pace on a few occasions down that flank. With Armani Little out, there's an argument for moving him inside to play in the heart of the midfield, alongside the impressive Zane Albarus.

Whatever Ainsworth does defensively, the team is going to have to be much sharper, and much better at their fundamentals, in order to keep things tight. If they do, we have players going forward who can create chances.

We heard earlier this week that Ollie Wright is back in training after his pre-season injury, but that news was swiftly followed by the announcement that Ashley Maynard-Brewer's emergency loan has been extended for another seven days.

That suggests that the Sheffield Wednesday man could well be starting between the sticks for the Gills on Saturday. But with Wright, plus teammate Sheldon Kendall, close to making a return, we're gradually starting to get our players back.

Phase in the likes of Bradley Dack, Armani Little and, later in the campaign, Liam Gordon, and the Gills side will start to look a lot stronger as things progress.

Having Wright in goal would be a huge benefit, though it's possible we may have to wait at least one more week. We shall see...

JEKYLL & HYDE GILLS: Eighty minutes of positivity were wiped out by 16 minutes of capitulation as Gillingham crashed to a 3-0 defeat on opening day.

'FUNDAMENTAL MISTAKES': Gareth Ainsworth has vowed to put things right on the training ground after Gillingham's late collapse against Walsall.

POWER RANKINGS: Highlighting the five top performers in a Gills shirt against Walsall.

PLAYER RATINGS: Every Gills player who took to the field against Walsall, rated.

BLOOD, SWEAT & GILLS: Simon from Gills 365 and Matt from Gills In The Blood TV unpack past weekend's 3-0 home defeat to Walsall.

GILLS 365 VOICE NOTES: Gills fans give their thoughts and reactions, before, during, and after Gillingham's opening-day 3-0 defeat to Walsall at Priestfield.

STRIKER HEADS NORTH: Seb Palmer-Houlden departs Priestfield after Motherwell agree a deal for the striker for an undisclosed fee.

A GOOD DEAL FOR THE CLUB: Gills manager Ainsworth explains the situation around Seb Palmer-Houlden's surprise sale to Motherwell.

THREE MORE INCOMING? Gillingham boss Gareth Ainsworth is targeting a hat-trick of new signings before the summer transfer window closes.

GORDON'S ALIVE! Good news, as Gills skipper Liam Gordon's opening-day injury doesn't seem to be as bad as first thought.

SCAR TISSUE: Simon Head on how we all need to shake off the PTSD of previous seasons to avoid negativity affecting this new group of players in 2026/27. But it's easier said than done...

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