“If everyone’s fit and available, it’ll be the same team,” said Stimson in his pre-match press conference yesterday.

The Gills produced one of their best performances of the season to defeat Leeds United 3-2 at Priestfield and the Gills manager confirmed that he intends to keep the same eleven on the field that started against Leeds, with the exception of Jack Payne, who will come in to replace Barry Fuller, who is ruled out with a broken nose.

The match sees Gillingham, the worst away side in England and Scotland, taking on Norwich, who have the best home record in League One. On paper, it’s a mismatch, but Stimson is buoyed by his team’s performance last weekend and feels that his side can carry that form into this weekend’s match.

“You’re only as good as your last game and we were good last weekend,” Stimson explained.

“We’ve got to take all that into Saturday’s game and play the way we did last weekend.

“If we do that, we could surprise Norwich as well.”

Check out the video for the full interview.

“I’m definitely aware of it,” he explained in Thursday’s pre-match interview.

“We can see that by the ticket sales that have gone out. We’ve sold 2,800 tickets so far, so we know how much it means to the supporters and I’m sure we’ll be going there, like them, and trying to give our best.”

Stimson’s side are still looking for their first away win of the campaign at the 20th time of asking and the Gills boss said that a derogatory comment about his side on television has merely added extra motivation ahead of this weekend’s match at The Valley.

“One of the TV stations I watched at the weekend said something along the lines of ‘if you can’t beat Gillingham at home then you might as well pack up’

“That wasn’t very nice to hear for me, but that’s the motivation that we want to stop and we’re going to go to Charlton on Saturday and expect a tough game but try to win the game.”

Check out the video for the full interview.

The opponents this weekend, Huddersfield Town, are one of the best sides in the division. The fact they were royally trounced 5-0 by a rampant Southampton side last time out should only serve to heighten our wariness ahead of the League One clash on Saturday.

Manager Lee Clark has spoken out, saying if he could have made ten substitutions at halftime last week, he would have – and has since come out and said ht expects a “huge response” from his players at Priestfield this weekend.

Make no mistake, Huddersfield will be on the attack and out to prove a point.

Gillingham, who have always looked shaky when faced with sides who attack them, will need to display a combination of steel and adventure if they’re to pick up a much-needed victory tomorrow – and for me, that means a return to a straightforward 4-4-2 formation.

The back four, in my eyes at least, picks itself. But at right back, Chris Palmer should be replaced with Stewart Lewis. The man dubbed “The Ginger Cafu” after his performances at right back last season proved an admirable stand-in for Barry Fuller last season, and there’s no reason why he can’t be again. Palmer’s ‘challenge’ for the penalty at Brunton Park was evidence enough that he isn’t a natural defender, and he should be used, when necessary, as a wide midfielder. He can fill in at fullback, but we have a better defensive player available, and that player is Lewis.

In midfield, Kevin Maher and Danny Jackman should play side-by-side in the centre, with the attacking impetus coming from wide areas, helping to force Huddersfield’s wingers and fullbacks onto the back foot. Andy Barcham and Curtis Weston, two of our most dynamic players, fit the bill perfectly. Weston has mainly operated through the middle for the Gills so far, but has played wide right in the past and can do a good job for us on the wing this weekend.

Up front, we know there is a fitness cloud hanging over one of our three strikers, but assuming all three are available, we’ll go for the most potent duo – Simeon Jackson and Chris Dickson. If necessary we can throw on Rene Howe in the second half to help provide fresh impetus and grunt.

Looking at the record of both sides, Huddersfield should be big favourites for this match, but their recent result at St. Mary’s and with Gillingham desperate to pick up not just points, but wins, at home, this match could prove a lot closer than many might think.

Huddersfield are far from bulletproof on their travels. They have lost more games than they have won away from home this season (won 6, lost 8 ) so they CAN be got at. The Gills’ home form, meanwhile is still very impressive. They’ve lost just three times at Priestfield, but have started to draw more games.

Mark Stimson, plus around 5,000 Gills fans, will be hoping for a return to winning ways this weekend.

Stimson said, “Hopefully we are as good as Huddersfield on the day. We can be, there’s no reason why we can’t.”

Huddersfield are still reeling from their 5-0 reverse at Southampton in their last match and a quick goal from the Gills on Saturday could give the Kent side the platform to get on top of a team whose confidence in defence may still be a little shaky.

For the Gills boss the approach is simple, “Score the first goal and keep the ball going towards their goal as much as possible.”

In the video, Stimson shares his views ahead of this weekend’s big match at Priestfield and talks about his plans for youngster Luke Rooney, who signed a two-year deal with the club this week.

The Gills take on Carlisle United at Brunton Park, but will be without the services of inspirational captain Barry Fuller, who is ruled out with a broken arm.

Stimson shares his views on Fuller, and the impact on the side his loss will have, as he looks forward to the weekend’s League One match.

“I do believe if we perform like we did at Yeovil away, with that same determination and discipline – and with the attacking players we’ve got playing – we can get a goal and defend the rest of the time and come away with a good win,” he said.

Stimson also revealed that Fuller had been offered a new two-year contract at the club and that he expected the skipper’s contract extension to be confirmed soon.

Check out the video for the full interview.

This season saw a continuation of that good form, kicking off with a remarkable 5-0 win over Swindon Town on opening day.

But in recent weeks the Gills’ form has dipped at Priestfield Stadium, losing two and drawing two of their last five home contests.

Despite this, they still have the eighth-best home record in League One and, after their hugely important 1-0 victory over Bristol Rovers on Saturday, manager Mark Stimson will be looking for his side to pick up back-to-back league wins for the first time since November.

Stimson’s biggest dilemma ahead of tonight’s match with Leyton Orient deals with his strikeforce. Rene Howe and Chris Dickson started at the weekend, but Simeon Jackson’s livewire appearance from the bench – not to mention his stoppage-time winner – make him impossible to ignore.

The Canadian striker made his point after scoring on Saturday by sprinting to the dugout and sitting back down on the bench. He wants to start – and it’ll be interesting to see whether Stimson agrees.

The dream ticket up front is undoubtedly a Jackson/Dickson combination, but it remains to be seen whether the two are too similar to play together. They certainly linked up well for the goal on Saturday.

Howe may be the man to miss out, unless Stimson goes ultra-attacking and opts for an exciting 4-3-3 formation with Howe as the spearhead and Jackson and Dickson playing just off him.

In midfield, Danny Jackman put in a man-of-the-match performance, while Adam Miller and Kevin Maher also impressed. Curtis Weston appears to be struggling with form and I’d be tempted to swap him for Andy Barcham, who came on to good effect on Saturday.

That would place Miller at the top of the diamond, with Barcham right and Jackman left. Maher should continue to hold – a role in which he seems to excel when the team plays narrow in midfield.

This match will see the Gills in determined mood as they look to avenge an embarrassing defeat from earlier in the season. The performance of the pitch was matched only by the shambolic nature of the day itself, with referee Andy D’Urso refusing to allow Gillingham latitude despite the adverse weather and traffic conditions and demanding a team be named despite only nine players being available at the time.

Stimson will enjoy the luxury of actually having options this time around and will be confident of his team’s ability to pick up another positive result.

The match kicks off at 7:45pm at Priestfield Stadium. If you can’t make it to the match, follow our live updates on our LIVEBLOG, which includes “almost-live” audio reports at halftime and fulltime.

Also, you can chat with fellow Gills exiles during the match in Gills365′s Matchday Chat room, which is available exclusively for Gills365 Forum members.

Those words, from Gillingham manager Mark Stimson, sum up the Gills’ new signing Chris Dickson.

Stimson was in upbeat mood in his pre-match press conference ahead of this weekend’s League One clash, where he spoke about his attacking options heading into an important double-header of home games, with Dickson joining Simeon Jackson, Rene Howe, James Walker and even Curtis Weston in the Gills attack.

Check out the video below to hear Stimson’s thoughts ahead of this weekend’s crunch match at Priestfield.

Gillingham are winless in 10 games in all competitions and haven’t won since their 3-1 home win over Stockport on December 19th, so a win is overdue.

And with the positive news of Chris Dickson’s signing giving the club and its fans a real lift, Saturday could be the day that Gillingham pick up their first win in 2010.

Mark Stimson, seemingly at the end of his tether after the debacle against Tranmere, made wholesale changes for last weekend’s away trip to Yeovil. On paper the team looked weaker, but on it they proved otherwise, grinding out a well-deserved goalless draw at Huish Park.

While it wasn’t a victory, it was a positive result in the current climate – and Stimson will have been looking to accentuate the positives in the lead up to this weekend’s match with Rovers, who have taken just two points from their last five away games.

In the light of Stimson’s radical changes to the lineup last weekend, predicting his starting XI for Saturday’s match looks tricky. While he may be tempted to keep faith with the players who did well at Huish Park, the overall lineup looks more like a side set up to avoid defeat, rather than one that will go out and get a victory.

And after the team’s abject performance in front of the Priestfield faithful over a week ago, the key must surely be to go on the attack on Saturday and really go for it.

Dickson’s addition to the squad provides another livewire option up front, and it would be strange for Stimson not to throw him straight in on Saturday.

For starters, the Gills boss has been pursuing Dickson for a long time now – and having finally landed his man, it would be strange to say the least not to play him.

Plus, there’s the “former club” factor. We’ve seen it all too often. Players coming back to take on their former clubs invariably seem to do well. Dickson spent a loan spell with The Pirates earlier in the campaign, scoring four times, but failed to win over the Rovers fans. He’ll be champing at the bit to not only start, but score, against his former side this weekend.

For the first time in what seems like a long time, Stimson has options when selecting his starting lineup. At left back, Tom Wynter, Chris Palmer and John Nutter are vying for selection, while up front Dickson is competing with Simeon Jackson, James Walker and possibly Rene Howe, who could return from injury in time to feature.

In midfield, a revitalised and fired-up Adam Miller looks set to keep his place after a good display at Yeovil, while Danny Jackman is another week fitter after his recent return from injury. Curtis Weston and Kevin Maher are also possible starters, while Andy Barcham, unlucky to have been left out at Yeovil after being one of the few positives against Tranmere, may be in line for a return.

I’ve selected the sort of side I’d like to see line up on Saturday (see right). I’d look to ease the pressure on Weston and give him a role wide on the right – a position he played during his younger days at Millwall. In the middle I’d pair Miller with Jackman, with Barcham raiding down the left. Up front I’d play our two most potent goal threats, Jackson and Dickson, in tandem. I’d keep the same back four from Yeovil, with Nutter and Richards keeping their places.

With two home games in quick succession – Bristol Rovers on Saturday, then Leyton Orient on Tuesday night – Gillingham have a real chance to bounce back with back-to-back wins and get our season back on track.

Let’s hope it kicks off with a good performance and a good win on Saturday.

In his pre-match interview, Stimson explained how frustrated he was after Tuesday night’s defeat to Tranmere Rovers, and revealed he had received a series of late-night phone calls from a Gillingham fan.

“The players I spoke to were the ones I was waiting to get a reaction from, and the reaction was what I was hoping for, so that was good and encouraging.”

“To be honest I left here very frustrated and disappointed,” he explained, saying that his wife probably would have ended up getting the wrong end of a verbal ear-bashing as a result of his mood at the time.

But a series of telephone calls from an irate Gillingham fan gave the Gills boss the chance to take out his frustrations elsewhere and go into the rest of the week in a more relaxed state of mind.

“I was quite lucky that I had a phone call at about 12:15 from an anonymous person and I could take my frustration out on them,” he said.

“It’s unfortunate, but you can get our numbers from many ways, but this one was strange because it was good that they didn’t ring on a private number, so I’ve actually got the number.

“The frustrating bit [is] they know me, they know where I work, but they wouldn’t tell me who they were and that’s all I was asking from them. Because then you can chat and you can talk about it in another shape and form.

“But they wouldn’t do that, they wouldn’t let up. They kept on ringing and ringing. Luckily enough I keep my phone on silent so it didn’t disrupt the family and their sleep, but it does disrupt you a little bit because you just want to get your head down and move on.

“But I took all my frustrations away on that person and woke up Wednesday looking forward to speaking to the chairman – and like I said, it was a good conversation.”

With the chairman standing by him, Stimson has now turned his attention to the next game, a tough-looking away match at Yeovil.

Stimson explained he would be picking a positive lineup and said he wants the players to give the fans something to cheer.

“We want the crowd to be singing their names and chanting like they were at Wembley and at the beginning of the season, winning 5-0 the first game of the season, and getting behind them.

“But sometimes if you get the other reaction from the supporters, players can say OK we want to turn that around – and that can be another incentive.

“There’s a lot of players that won’t be able to do that, because they ain’t got that in their make-up – and like I’ve always said to the fans if they’re going to express it like they did make sure they chuck it at me, don’t chuck it at the players.

“I know Barry Fuller’s gone on record to say “Don’t boo the boss, boo the boys,” but I’d rather it [was] the other way around.”

For the full interview, check out the video on the left of this page.

We don’t need to dwell on Gillingham’s scandalously poor away record – the stats are there for all to see.

Instead, let’s look at the positives.

Gillingham have acquired four new faces since the teams met at Priestfield back in December. Rene Howe and Darren Dennehy look like nailed-on certs to start the match, while tricky winger Tristan Plummer may find himself on the bench. Brentford’s team, almost all of whom standing over six feet tall, may not be ideal opposition for the slight Bristol City winger.

Deadline Day signing James Walker may be involved, but whether that’s from the bench or from the start will almost certainly depend on whether Mark Stimson opts to rest top scorer Simeon Jackson. The Canadian international has struggled in recent matches and has netted just once since Christmas.

The Gills are currently in a three game winless streak, but have shown defensive improvement in that time, looking solid against playoff contenders Colchester and mid-table Walsall at Priestfield, while only succumbing to a late long-range effort at Hartlepool.

After an uncertain start, Alan Julian is finally beginning to look the part between the sticks, while Dennehy’s introduction at centre half has provided the team with some much-needed height. That height will be well tested this weekend. Brentford’s play at Priestfield was direct and aggressive. Nothing wrong with that, of course, Tony Pulis’ Gills side of the late 90s was similar, if more talented. The onus will be on Dennehy, Josh Gowling and the central midfielders to stand up and meet the physical challenge head on. Gillingham’s success will depend on those battles being won.

Brentford have lost just twice at Griffin Park this season, but are far from prolific on their home patch. They are averaging less than a goal a game over their last five home matches, and are reliant on a strong, well-drilled defensive unit to grind out results. If Gillingham can score at Griffin Park, they stand a better chance of adding to their points tally then they might at other League One grounds.

Once again, Gillingham will need to be physically strong and committed throughout the side – and that will require a strong, experienced lineup. But remembering our encounter with the Bees at Priestfield, Brentford look susceptible to pace and trickery, and Curtis Weston, consigned to the bench in recent matches, must be a serious consideration for Mark Stimson, who knows he needs to start turning draws into wins at this stage of the season.

If Gillingham can meet the physical challenge at the back and attack in numbers when in possession, they stand a decent chance of success at Griffin Park. But it’s almost certainly going to need a moment of magic from the likes of Barcham, Weston or Jackson to breach the Bees’ back line.

The smart money says this has “draw” written all over it, but if Gillingham go into the match with a positive attitude and play to win, rather than not lose, then there’s a chance we could be celebrating a first away win on Saturday night.

But, as anyone who has been to a Gills away game this season will tell you, that’s a pretty big “if”.