The Hat-Trick: Can Gills snap winless streak against Grimsby?

It's a chance for Gareth Ainsworth's side to fully bounce back from the disappointment of last weekend by sealing a successful week with two positive results at home.

As we get set for Saturday's game, here's a hat-trick of burning questions we hope to get answered during the 90 minutes this weekend...

Gillingham may have had a better start to the season than their opponents this weekend, but the recent head-to-head form guide against Grimsby doesn't make for pretty reading.

Over the last six meetings with the Mariners, the Gills have won precisely none. They've drawn just two, and lost four. The last two meetings ended in defeat.

However, the Grimsby side that will arrive at Priestfield on Saturday is hardly in the best of form. After a decent start to the campaign, David Artell's men have lost four and drawn one of their last five matches, and head to Priestfield to take on a Gills side that is unbeaten in five home games in League Two.

It means that, on paper at least, the Gills have a great opportunity to snap their winless streak against the Mariners and bounce back from their 3-1 defeat at Accrington with four points from their next two games.

With Eli King looking like he's going to be out for a lengthy spell, and Zane Albarus working his way back from injury, the middle of Gillingham's midfield has started to look a lot like the midfield of last season.

Armani Little partnered Robbie McKenzie earlier this month and, with McKenzie missing the Port Vale game to attend the birth of his child, Ethan Coleman came in to partner Little in the middle of the park.

The Vale game in particular saw our midfield pairing sitting too deep as we conceded too much space to the opposition. Ainsworth will be looking for more pressure, and more forward thinking, from his midfield duo this time around, with McKenzie likely to step back in to partner Little once again.

When Albarus is ready to return, it'll be interesting to see whether he comes back into the side ahead of one of his more experienced teammates. Then there's Harry Waldock, who provides energy and drive over and above what his teammates can deliver.

Will he get in ahead of Little or McKenzie? And who will the gaffer plump for as his starting two?

These are the selection dilemmas Ainsworth has to deal with, and they could be crucial to our success on Saturday.

After a start to the campaign that saw him battered, bruised, and with a broken nose, Ronan Hale looks fully recovered and is starting to find the net.

He picked up an ankle injury in the act of scoring Gillingham's second in a 2-0 home win over Tranmere Rovers, and he continued to play, despite being far from 100 percent.

Three games came and went with no goals, but at Rotherham he netted twice to get back into the goals. Then, two games later, he fired home from the spot to ensure the Gills took a point from Tuesday night's midweek game with Port Vale.

It means Hale sits on five goals from 12 games played in League Two so far, with three goals in his last three games.

The Northern Irishman is starting to show some real confidence, and is playing, and scoring, with a smile on his face. Another goal against Grimsby would really start to build some momentum for the former Ross County man, and help send him into November in top goalscoring form.

The Hat-Trick sets the scene ahead of the weekend's big Gills match, every Friday.

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