The Hat-Trick: Can Gillingham make Priestfield count against Bristol Rovers?

The Gills are unbeaten in five as they get ready for the visit of one of the division's early pacesetters. Bristol Rovers have looked excellent at home, but have shown signs of fallibility on the road, having lost twice on their travels already this season.

Ainsworth will be looking to add to that tally with a strong Gills performance this weekend. But any game against a Steve Evans-managed side always brings its challenges. On Saturday, we'll see if our young side has what it takes to stand up to them and claim back-to-back wins at Priestfield.

After last season's frustrations and an opening-day collapse, Gareth Ainsworth's side have improved game-by-game, drawing three in a row before thrashing Rochdale away, then following up with a 2-0 victory over previously unbeaten Tranmere Rovers.

Everything seems to be trending in the right direction, but will this be the indicator of the sort of season we're going to experience this term? At this week's pre-match press conference, Gills boss Gareth Ainsworth was asked if his side had turned the corner, and he said he's confident they have.

"Definitely. Looking at training and speaking to my coaches, there's been loads of changes," he said.

"It's definitely my team to be judged on now, and I've always said that, and it's been hard because I know football fans want the result yesterday, and they want success yesterday. I always said it would take a little bit of time.

"But yeah, come at me now if my team's poor, because I'll certainly be going at them, because their standards are set now. They've been great, they really have. I'm hoping that we can be successful with this group."

During the glory days of Gillingham FC, the team made Priestfield Stadium a real fortress, with the stadium at ME7 renowned as a horrible place for opposition teams to come and play at.

So far, the team's record at home has been mixed, but with the visit of Bristol Rovers this weekend, there's a chance to claim two home victories in the space of a week. And if the Gills can do it with victories over in-form sides like Tranmere and Bristol Rovers, that would be a real feather in the cap for Ainsworth's young Gills side.

Gillingham will face their sternest examination so far this season against Bristol Rovers, who have one of the stronger squads in the division. In addition to the quality they'll bring to Priestfield on Saturday, Rovers will also bring with them the sort of high-pressure, high-intensity football that has been a hallmark of manager Steve Evans' sides over the years.

Gills fans are fully aware of what a Evans side looks like, given his time in charge at Priestfield between 2019 and 2022, and current Gills boss Ainsworth will be steeling his players for the physical challenge that lies ahead on Saturday at 3:00pm.

The young players will come under particular attention, with Evans likely to target some of them to see if his side can knock them out of their rhythm and take advantage of their relative lack of experience. So it will be fascinating to watch how the likes of Logan Dobbs, Harry Waldock and Conor McManus fare.

If they do well, and the team reproduces the sort of performances we've seen in recent games, there's no reason why the fans can't be celebrating another positive result after 5:00pm.

PODCAST - VOICE NOTES: GILLINGHAM 2-0 TRANMERE ROVERS
Listen back to the live reaction from Gillingham fans as the Gills claimed their first home win of the season with a 2-0 defeat of previously unbeaten Tranmere Rovers at Priestfield.

PODCAST - BLOOD, SWEAT & GILLS: TWO WINS ON THE SPIN!
Simon from Gills 365 and Matt From Gills In The Blood TV catch up to share their thoughts following Gillingham's 2-0 win over Tranmere, and give their first impressions of the new Fan Zone at Priestfield.

GILLINGHAM'S NEW FAN ZONE, REVIEWED
Gillingham FC opened their new Fan Zone to home supporters for last weekend's game against Tranmere. We checked it out, and were impressed with what we saw.

SIMON HEAD: GILLINGHAM'S SLOW-BURN START IS SHOWING SIGNS OF CATCHING FIRE
It's early, and they're going to need time, but already we're seeing signs that Gillingham's new squad is starting to gel.

'QUICK HEALER': GILLS SKIPPER LIAM GORDON TALKS INJURY 'MIRACLE'
Gills skipper Liam Gordon is walking around freely, seemingly without a knee brace. And, if he has his way, he says he’ll be back in action sooner, rather than later.

Gills 365 members get our full matchday coverage, analysis, features, and podcasts, plus access to our growing season archive. No ads, no popups, no surveys – just proper, well-presented Gillingham FC coverage.

The Hat-Trick is Gills 365's free weekly email, sent every Friday before Gillingham games. If you're a non-member, you can sign up to receive The Hat-Trick by entering your email address in the form at the foot of this page.