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

Gillingham are boosted by the arrival of a new striker, with Nottingham Forest forward Lamin Sillah signing on a season-long loan, and after a battling performance at Fleetwood earned the first league point of the season, Gareth Ainsworth's men will be looking to play on the front foot to get the 2026/27 season properly off and running.

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

Gillingham are hunting their first goal, and first win, of the season. And with the team playing at home, there's an opportunity for Ainsworth to stack the deck in attack and play all three of our main strikers in his starting XI.

His preferred formation appears to be a 3-4-2-1, with Will Goodwin leading the line up front, and while Ronan Hale has been deployed as one of the number 10s, there's room for another withdrawn striker to join him in an attacking trio.

The arrival of loanee Sillah gives Ainsworth that option, and the Nottingham Forest man hasn't come down to Kent to sit on the substitutes' bench. The smart money is on him starting there on Saturday, though. But if Ainsworth went full YOLO and picked all three, that would be a real statement of intent, and tell the fans that he plans on attacking this season with all the firepower he has at his disposal.

The news of Kadeem Harris' ruptured ACL took the shine off Gillingham's first point of the season, with the veteran wide man set to miss a large chunk of the campaign. It also deprives us of a major outlet on the left of our team, where he'd looked so positive in his first couple of appearances.

With Harris now ruled out for the long term, there's an immediate need at the left wing-back spot. The big question is: who takes it?

There's arguably a ready-made wing-back waiting to step in. Conor McManus can play wing-back, full-back or left centre-back. Selecting him has the added benefit of the rest of the XI remaining unchanged, should Ainsworth want to keep it that way. But there is another option at his disposal.

If, as we discussed above, Ainsworth looks to play three strikers up top, that would free up James Brophy to potentially drop into the left wing-back role. He is familiar with the position, likes to get forward, and has the experience to be defensively responsible, if needed. It would offer a more attacking option on the left-hand side, as part of a more attacking lineup overall.

Both options work, and would put a round peg in a round hole, so from a balance standpoint, either would fit the bill. But it'll be very interesting to see whether Ainsworth puts his faith in his young summer signing, or the more seasoned pro.

It's fair to say that Gareth Ainsworth has a bit of winning over to do when it comes to the Priestfield faithful. The way our season fell apart last season led to sections of our support calling for Ainsworth to be moved on in the summer. But he remained in post, with the club committed to its two-year plan, and the gaffer was clear during the recent Fan Forum that he wanted to be judged on this season.

But, after seeing his side collapse in the final 10 minutes (plus stoppage time) on opening day, the Priestfield crowd showed their displeasure, with the sound of booing clearly audible at the final whistle.

Ainsworth has remained bullish about our chances this season, but the fans need to see that same positivity reflected in the team's performances on the pitch. So far, we've had a decent 80 minutes, but no goals, before a late collapse, then a hard-earned goalless draw, but still no goals.

A few goals, and a win, on Saturday, would start to make things feel a lot more positive as we head into September.

A POINT ON THE ROAD: Gillingham get on the board with a goalless draw at Fleetwood.

ABSOLUTE PRIDE: Gareth Ainsworth was delighted with the resilient performance he got from his team as they drew 0-0 with Fleetwood Town.

BACKING THE BOYS: Gills boss Ainsworth waxed lyrical about the Gills' travelling support at Fleetwood.

REINFORCEMENTS ESSENTIAL: Ainsworth made clear the need for more new faces before the transfer window closes on September 1.

HARRIS RULED OUT: Kadeem Harris' ACL injury will leave him out of action for a 'lengthy spell'.

CLARK MELTDOWN: Internet rumours linking Max Clark with a return sparked a meltdown, but a comeback isn't the worst idea as a stop-gap solution.

VOICE NOTES: Fan reactions from Fleetwood Town 0-0 Gillingham.

BLOOD, SWEAT & GILLS: Simon and Matt offer some positivity after the Gills' first point of the campaign.

SILLAH SIGNS: Gillingham secure the season-long loan of Nottingham Forest striker Lamin Sillah.

EXCITING TIMES TO COME: Gareth Ainsworth eyes more signings before the end of the summer transfer window.

SUPER-CONFIDENT: Gillingham boss Ainsworth is in very positive mood ahead of the visit of relegated Northampton Town this weekend.

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