Tuesday 31st August - k.o. 19:45

Johnstone's Paint Trophy

First Round

Venue: Roots Hall

Gills Recent Form - League and Cup - last 6 matches

Southend’s Recent Form - League and Cup - last 6 matches

Manager: Paul Sturrock (Record to date: P6 W2 D1 L3)

Nickname: The Shrimpers

Colours: Home – Blue with Sky Blue trim. Away – Yellow & Blue.

Ground: Roots Hall

Capacity: 12,392

What will it be like for Gills fans?

Gills fans will be in the North Stand, which is now all seated for up to 2,000. But like most former terraces with seats bolted onto them, the leg room and height distance between each row is poor.

The large number of supporting pillars impedes your view, but at least the Stand is covered. It does however generate a lot of noise with just a few fans.

The front of the stand is below pitch level, with stairs leading up to each pitch access point where the stewards stand. Going up and down these flights of stairs, with drinks in each hand, can present a problem.

Even though Roots Hall is an older ground it has some rather modern electronic turnstiles. Each match ticket has a bar code printed onto it and fans insert their ticket into a bar code reader at the turnstile to gain entrance to the stadium. (Information courtesy of www.footballgroundguide.co.uk)

We have met the Shrimpers 98 times in total to date including three games last year, two in League One and a first round F.A. Cup Match. Our first meeting was back in the 1920/21 season when it was a draw at Priestfield 1-1, then Gills lost 1-0 at Roots Hall.

The games last year ended with a 3-0 win in the F.A. Cup at Priestfield for the Gills with Curtis Weston, Febian Brandy and Mark Bentley scoring but Southend winning the League game at Roots Hall 1-0 in October. However Gills won the reverse fixture comfortably 3-0 in April 2010 with goals from Dennis Oli, rene howe and Andy Barcham.

The total record reads: Gills wins - 40, Southend wins - 34, draws - 24.

•  Southend's most capped international is George MacKenzie (9 caps for Ireland).

•  Their best ever League win was 9-2 vs. Newport County -5/9/1936 - D3 South (old)

•  Best ever attendance: 31,090  vs. Liverpool  - 10/1/1979 - FA Cup R3.

•  Most League goals in a season: Sammy McCrorry with 31 -1957/58 - D3 South (old).

•  Most League appearances: Sandy Anderson with 451 from 1950 to 1963.

•  Biggest transfer fee received: £3.57m for Stan Collymore from N. Forest - June 1993.

•  Biggest transfer fee paid: £750,000 for Stan Collymore to Crystal Palace - Nov 1992.

Hess has indicated that striker Cody McDonald needs extra time to regain his sharpness and match fitness so expect him to start alongside Mark McCammon.

Barry Fuller (left) also returning from injury will no doubt play part of the game but expect Hess to use a few of his squad players to rest first team regulars.

Goalkeeper Lance Cronin will keep his place with youngster Daren Hawkes as substitute goalie.

It will be too early for midfielder Danny Jackman,  out with a knee injury, to return and striker Dennis Oli (hamstring) and centre-back Garry Richards (ankle) will both be unavailable.

Gills eleven from (4-4-2): Lance Cronin (GK), Daren Hawkes (GK), John Nutter, Barry Fuller, Josh Gowling, Matt Lawrence, Tony Sinclair, Nicky Southall, Jack Payne, Kevin Maher, Danny Spiller, Luke Rooney, Chris Palmer, Mark Bentley, Mark McCammon, Cody McDonald, Andy Barcham, Connor Essam.

Our referee this Tuesday is Mr Gavin Ward from Surrey. The twenty nine year old, who maybe looks quite a bit younger, has completed two seasons as a National List referee.

He started refereeing at thirteen in Kent, progressing through the Kent and Isthmian Leagues. Gavin has officiated at the FA Trophy Final and Football League Championship Play Off Final and was the first match official to be appointed as ‘reserve assistant’ for a major domestic cup final - the 2007 Carling Cup Final.

This will be his fourth appointment officating a Gills game and he actually took charge of the Southend v Gills game last October at Roots Hall.

The walking wounded on the Gills injury list will no doubt keep Andy Hessenthaler focused as he contemplates his selection options for the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy encounter. The growing list of injuries has also scuppered Hessy’s plans he had of selling players before the transfer window closes at 18.00 on Tuesday 31st August.

At times during these early weeks of the season there has been up to eleven first team players out and for two successive games Hessenthaler could only named six substitutes, rather than the normal seven.

Some of the injured players are beginning to return, but this good news was offset last week with the news of Alan Julian’s fracturerd hand and influenetual midfielder Curtis Weston will both be out for the next two weeks and will not be available for selection until the Shrewsbury Town home game at the earliest.

As a result Hessenthaler is not expecting to do any business before the transfer window closes on Tuesday evening.

“I wouldn’t have thought so, more chance when the loan window opens,” he told kentOnline. “The more players we get back the more chance there is of people going. Players want to play and if they’re not we might have to make a decision on a few.

“We need to get the budget down a bit, even loans will help the monthly loan wage structure. I’ve had a chat with the chairman and he’s been very good. He understands the injury list we’ve got, but once we get everybody back we need to trim it down. He’s not put me under any pressure, but if we need to get anyone else in over the next few months we would definitely have to move players out on loan.”

Following the frustration of not gaining all three points at Morecambe on Saturday Hess has to be realistic with these Cup games in relation to the League match priority and he said, “We may give the big man (Bayo) a rest because he’s picked up a couple of knocks and has had an injection for today’s game in his shoulder”.

“Mark McCammon might get a start along with Stefan Payne so we will use it as a chance to change things around and get some of the other players some minutes on the pitch”.

Southend manager Paul Sturrock (right) was over the moon with his side's display in the Friday night 2-0 win at Bradford.

Southend had only gained only one point from their first three matches but shook Bradford by going ahead after 16 minutes and further in front after 54 minutes with no reply from Bradford.

The only blot on the night for Southend was the sending off of former Gills player Sean Clohessy for the second bookable offence in the 76th minute.

Paul Sturrock is a happy man with the way his team is shaping but has indicated that the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy is not a priority and he will be giving some fringe players a chance to show what they can do against the Gills.

Southend will have to do without former Gills defender Sean Clohessy (pictured right) who was sent-off in the 76th minute of their game on Friday at Bradford City and will now miss this game.

Manager Paul Sturrock is happy with Southend’s progress under his guidance and the performance of both Barry Corr and Anthony Grant in the Friday night game.

Shrimps eleven from (4-4-2): Glen Morris, Bilel Mohsni, Chris Barker, Peter Gilbert, Josh Simpson, Anthony Grant, Craig Easton, Ryan Hall, Barry Corr, Blair Sturrock, Rhys Evans, Graham Coughlan, Matthew Paterson, Adam Bouzid, Louie Soares, Johnny Herd, Luke Prosser.