Our prediction for this League 2 match:
Following a heavy 3-0 loss at Newport County, Northampton will be aiming to stay in automatic promotion berth when they welcome Gillingham to their Sixfields Stadium on Monday afternoon. The Cobblers have been having their ups and downs of late, but they are still seen as favourites to beat the Gills on home soil. Aaron McGowan suffered an injury on Friday, with Akinwale Odimayo likely to step up. William Hondermarck is pushing for a start as well.
Meanwhile Neil Harris’ troops aim to build on a hard-fought 1-0 win over Doncaster. Gillingham, though, have been struggling on the road of late (0-2-2), which is probably the main reason why home win should be considered. Will Wright is likely to replace fellow defender Conor Masterson in the starting XI as the later limped off with injury in the round 40 clash.
Highlighted Player (Stuart O\'Keefe):
Stuart O’keefe is a an English footballer who started his senior career at Southend United. In August 2010 O’Keefe signed a one-year deal with Crystal Palace after impressing coach George Burley in a trial game against West Ham reserves.
The 173-cm-tall midfielder scored one goal in 36 appearances for the Eagles in the Premier League, finding the net in a 3-1 win over Sunderland on August 31, 2013. Stuart O’Keefe played for Blackpool on loan before moving to Cardiff City in the winter of 2015.
After his loan spells with Milton Keynes Dons, Portsmouth and Plymouth Argyle, O’Keefe moved to Gillingham at the end of the 2018/2019 season. He made his League One debut with the club on August 3, 2019 in a 1-1 draw with Doncaster Rovers. His main position is central midfield, but he is used as both defensive and attacking midfielder as well. His preferred foot is right.
Highlighted Team (Northampton):
Northampton are a professional football club that compete in the League Two, the English fourth tier. The Cobblers play their home matches at Sixfields Stadium, the venue that has a capacity of 7,798. Northampton Town are well known for their claret and white home kit, while black is the dominant colour of their away jersey.
Northampton did well to make it to the Charity Shield final in 1909, with the team suffering a 2-0 loss to Newcastle United in the title game. The Cobblers are holding the record for the shortest time taken to secure promotion from the bottom tier to the top flight and relegated back down to the bottom again. Northampton Town managed to do so in only nine years.
Peterborough united are regarded as the club’s main rivals, with other significant rivalries including the likes of Oxford United, Milton Keynes Dons, Cambridge United, Coventry City, and Rushden & Diamonds.