Jackson, who hit 21 goals last season, has started the season in fine goalscoring form, hitting eight goals in 11 appearances.

And it is believed that Toffees manager David Moyes is interested in bringing the Canadian international to Goodison Park when the transfer window opens in January.

Jackson has been the subject of reported interest from a host of clubs since his goalscoring heroics helped fire the Gills to promotion last season.

But so far, it appears no club has made a firm offer, but that may change in January, with the likes of Leicester City, Ipswich Town, Aston Villa and Everton all linked with Jackson in the last three months.

The Man in the Middle is Hampshire based referee Keith Stroud.

He is not likely to be the most revered referee to return to Priestfield after his last performance, when he awarded a very dubious penalty against Adam Miller in our FA Cup 3rd Round defeat to Premiership outfit Aston Villa last season.

He is an experienced official as his CV shows. In addition he has been an Assistant Referee at an FA Cup Final and an International fixture. He also refereed the Conference Play-Off Final in 2004.

One of his assistants is Phil Sharpe, who is arguably one of England’s most experienced officials.

Phil has been a FIFA Assistant Referee since 1997. Additionally he has officiated at the,

1999 FA Cup Final
2000 UEFA EURO Championships
2002 World Cup including the Final
2004 UEFA EURO Championships
2004 Olympic Games including the Final
2006 World Cup Finals

Undoubtedly the high point of his career came in 2002 in Japan, when he ran the line in the World Cup Final between Brazil and Germany. The Man in the Middle that day was the legendary Pierluigi Collina.

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Villa manager Martin O’Neill saw first-hand what the pint-sized Gills striker is capable of when the two sides met in their FA Cup Third Round clash earlier in January.

Jackson’s stunning equaliser in that match had the pundits purring, and if reports are to be believed, the Gills hitman is attracting interest from big clubs.

Rumours of Ipswich Town’s interest circulated before the Villa cup game, but now it seems Villa may be contemplating a move, with one newspaper claiming a bid of £1million could be on the cards.

Gills transfer target, Charlton striker Chris Dickson

Dickson has indicated that he is interested in the possibility of a move to Priestfield, but it remains to be seen whether Mark Stimson will see his hopes dashed by a bid from a club from a higher division.

Stimson has suggested that any move for Dickson would be a loan deal, but should the club accept a big-money deal for Jackson, it may be possible that Dickson could become a target for a permanent transfer.

Dickson scored eleven times in eleven starts for the Gills during a prolific loan spell last season.

You can imagine then, how I felt when at the final whistle of both the Villa and Wycombe games. I was entirely unable to ascertain whether my toes were even still attached, let alone what condition they might be in, such was the chilling effect of sitting still for ninety minutes – fortunately both times the defrosting process has been a success.

They were two particularly fine matches, and the quality of football on display was certainly attractive to the eye, yet while many casual fans and TV viewers may have warmed to what was on offer at Priestfield, my feet unequivocally did not. The two numb ice cubes at the bottom of my legs felt somewhat cumbersome on the walk home, so I expect driving in that condition is not much fun either. Basically, it’s bloomin’ freezing at the moment, and it has an impact on the entire football watching experience.

It won’t have escaped the notice of the more observant of Gills fans that as temperatures have plummeted, games across the country have been called off with alarming regularity. All five of the Football League and Conference clashes on Tuesday night have been postponed. In fact, it was only due to a massive effort from groundsman John Plummer, making use of a band of volunteers and some hired pitch covers, that the money spinning FA Cup game against Villa was even able to go ahead. Currently I would suggest that there is a distinct possibility of our next home game against Aldershot falling victim to the cold snap sweeping the nation.

But supposing it does go ahead, what are the best ways of minimising the impact of the near freezing conditions? I’ll certainly be adding another pair of socks to my armoury, gloves are a given, and a woolly hat has become necessary thanks to the over-zealous nature of my local barber (The smile and nod tactic has its drawbacks). I also re-discovered the healing properties of a half-time hot chocolate during the Wycombe match, which led me to bring my own flask of the stuff for Villa. (I’ve been told I can’t take plastic bottles into the ground before, what with those dangerous lids, but I sailed through the security checks with the metal flask. Go figure.) The problem with a flask though, is that it doesn’t warm your hands while you hold it like the cardboard cup does, but it doesn’t cost the earth and nor do I waste my time queuing for it.

Ignoring all of this, one of the best ways to keep warm during the game is simply to support the team. Getting behind the Gills by singing your heart out and making noise not only spurs the players on, but encourages those around you to do the same. What’s more; it warms you up! It’s even better at the grounds you can still stand in, and can create a fantastic atmosphere. For me the grittiness of the winter game makes it a time for proper football and proper fans, and if the match does go ahead on Saturday we can get Priestfield rocking, and send me home without frostbite.

P.S. – While I was writing this, Alan Smith was presented with hand and foot warmers in preparation for his commentary on tonight’s Carling Cup game between Tottenham and Burnley on Sky Sports News. Good shout!

The scoreline shows just how close Gillingham had run the fourth-best side in the country and it had taken a dubious penalty to achieve that result. Ashley Young, who had not taken too much to take a tumble all afternoon, was challenged by Adam Miller and down he went. James Milner stroked home the penalty and the dream of a replay that we had cherished for 20 minutes disappeared.

Aston Villa had turned up without Gareth Barry and Gabriel Agbonlahor, but this was also a seriously weakened Gillingham side and one look at the bench that resembled a creche was an indication of how badly the home side were stretched.

A sterling effort from groundsman John Plummer had managed to get the pitch to kick off time frost-free and without the need of a pitch inspection. An earlier inspection of my own lawn had decreed that no game would be played on my patch of grass.

Hearty renditions of the the Last Waltz and Home of the Shouting Men had a packed Priestfield Stadium in full voice as the teams took to the field for a Third Round tie in front of ITV’s cameras.

It was against the run of play when Villa went ahead on 14 minutes. Adam Miller was caught in possession following a poor pass from makeshift centre half Mark Bentley, had Garry Richards been available the ball was bound for Row Z. Milner scored with a quality finish. This was going to be the difference in class it was felt, one half chance and the Premiership side had taken it.

It was easy to suspect that Gillingham would fold and the scoreline could be as mountainous as Mark Stimson had foretold given a bad set of circumstances. But none of it, by half time the home side had carved out a couple of chances and it took a last ditch tackle from Zat Knight to stop Simeon Jackson and Nigel Reo-Coker picked up a booking when he sent Dennis Oli sprawling on the edge of the penalty area.

On the hour came the moment we had dreamed. Simeon Jackson, who had looked so tiny in comparison to the towering Zat Knight and Curtis Davies, finally wriggled clear and from just inside the box spectacularly beat Brad Friedel. Priestfield erupted, game on!

Villa then showed Premiership quality in closing the game out, Gillingham had a lot of the possession but were unable to test Friedel to any great extent and then came the penalty that broke our hearts. It was clearly debateable and a television viewing has not convinced me of its validity. As a supporter of a lower division club it was the kind of decision that we believe always falls the direction of the Premiership clubs. But mostly it was sad, because Gillingham did not deserve to be beaten in such a soft manner, they had earned a second pay day at Villa Park and their fans had similarly earned their big night out.

In front of the TV watching nation, Gillingham not only avoided any embarrassment, but showed enough quality to give real hope for the rest of the League Two season, whether they can similarly raise their game for likes of Grimsby and Chester is going to be the test.

The game will be officiated by Hampshire based, Select Group referee, Keith Stroud.  He is assisted by three Select Group Officials.

Assistant Dave Bryan has been a FIFA appointed Assistant Referee since 1999, and has officiated in the UEFA Super Cup Final, FA Challenge Cup Final, and Football League Play-off Finals.

Fellow Assistant John Flynn has officiated a League One Play-Off Final.  He was promoted to the Select Group of Assistant Referees in 2006.

4th Official Steve Tanner was appointed to the Select Group of Referees in 2007.  This will be his second visit to Priestfield this season.  He refereed the 1-0 home defeat to Luton in August.

Defender – Martin Laursen

A 2004 signing from AC Milan, Laursen has struggled with injury during his early time with Villa. But in 2007-08 he more than doubled his number of appearances, playing in every single Barclays Premier League game and his commanding performances at the heart of the defence earned him the Villa Supporters Player of the Year award. He also found time to get forward and score half a dozen goals. He has this season taken the captain’s armband from Gareth Barry and maintained the high standard of last season scoring 4 goals already this season. The 31 year old stopper is also a full Danish International.

Midfielder – Ashley Young

Villa paid an initial £8m to Watford for Ashley Young, with the potential for his fee to go even higher, but he is proving to be excellent value for money. The 23 year old has revelled in a free role just behind the front two and his impressive club form has earned him a call-up to the senior national squad. He made his full England debut as a second half substitute against Austria in November 2007. Young has scored 7 goals already this season and he has earned rave reviews throughout the game, including from his manager Martin O’Neill who has compared him to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Striker – Gabriel Agbonlahor

The 22 year old striker burst on to the scene in the 2005-06 season and has been a regular starter in the Villa side since. Scoring 20 goals in the previous 2 seasons, it is this season that Agbonlahor has established himself as one of the best young English strikers around. He is strong and lightning quick with 10 goals to his credit so far. Agbonlahor made his full England debut in England’s recent 2-1 win over the Germans, earning plaudits for his encouraging performance. It is widely accepted that Agbonlahor is an England star in the making.

Aston Villa, currently sitting in fourth place in the Premier League, are one of the most exciting sides in the country and the chance to see the Gills taking on Martin O’Neill’s side has clearly captured the imagination of the Gillingham fans.

So far this season, the club has an average attendance of 4,819 to far this season, but the visit of Aston Villa in The FA Cup will see a total sell out of the club’s 11,500 capacity Priestfield Stadium.

For those unlucky enough to miss out on a ticket for the big game on Sunday January 4th, the match is being televised live on ITV, with the match kicking off at 1.30pm.

Fuller’s tackle on Sam Wood, just two minutes from the end of the Gills’ 1-1 draw with Brentford this weekend, saw him receive a straight red card and the resulting three-match ban will rule him out of the club’s televised FA Cup clash on January 4th.

Talking to BBC Radio Kent after the match, Gills boss Mark Stimson said the club would be unlikely to appeal the decision.

“We won’t be appealing. It looks worse than when it first happened.

“Some of the appeals this season we haven’t got away with and this one looks unlikely. We probably won’t bother.

“Our back four is really going to be tested in those two league games. The lad is distraught.

“We said ‘did you have to tackle? Was it life or death? Was he about to score the winning goal?’ Their player was not in the position to hurt us.”

The big question now concerns who Stimson will select in Fuller’s place for the Villa game. Nicky Southall is cup tied after Stimson loaned him out to Dover and allowed him to play for them earlier in the competition, while the club’s other possible right back option, Sean Clohessy, has recently extended his loan at Blue Square side Salisbury City.

With all three senior right back options now effectively ruled out, Stimson now faces a selection headache for the Villa game, with no other senior right back available for the big match.

The match will be televised live on ITV1 at 1.30pm on Sunday January 4th, 2009.

In addition to the huge gate a home clash with Villa would bring, the club would also receive a substantial cash injection by facing the Premier League big boys.

Winning the replay against Stockport will earn the Gills £30,000. They will then be guaranteed an extra £160,000 from the FA’s Broadcast Fund as a result of the match being televised live.

Should the unthinkable happen and the Gills go on to beat Villa, they would bank an additional £75,000, taking their income, before gate receipts, to more than a quarter of a million pounds.

THE FA CUP: THIRD ROUND TELEVISED TIES

Friday January 2nd, 2009
8pm on Setanta Sports
Tottenham Hotspur v Wigan Athletic

Saturday January 3rd, 2009
5.25pm on ITV1
Preston North End v Liverpool

Sunday January 4th, 2009
1.30pm on ITV1
Gillingham or Stockport County v Aston Villa

Sunday January 4th, 2009
4.00pm on Setanta Sports 1
Southampton v Manchester United

Monday January 5th, 2009
8pm on Setanta Sports
AFC Bournemouth or Blyth Spartans v Blackburn Rovers