Swindon Town v Gillingham Betting Tips: Teams to be evenly matched at County Ground

Two League One relegation candidates come head-to-head on Tuesday night as Swindon Town take on Gillingham.

After losing five matches on the spin and scoring just one goal in the process, it looked like things were a mess both on and off the pitch for Swindon. However, they have now managed to pick up four points in their last two games, meaning they are now just three points off survival. Furthermore, the fact those points were taken from relegation rivals is hugely important.

They may have scored three goals last time out but The Robins have generally been poor in the final third this season having found the back of the net just 32 times in 34 matches. Defensively they have been better and have kept clean sheets in more than a quarter of their league matches so far this campaign. Additionally, they have not conceded more than two goals in a match in 2017.

Luke Williams’ side, or Tim Sherwood’s depending on how you look at it, have been abysmal at home and have the second-worst home record in the division with just 19 points taken from 16 matches at the County Ground. They have also failed to win a match on home soil in any competition since 26th November 2016.

Gillingham are currently five points clear of the bottom four but, with 12 games to go, they could easily get dragged into it. Fortunately for them though, they managed to win their last match at home to play-off chasers Southend United to stop a poor run of 11 matches without a win. Perhaps this is the start of a revival.

The Gills have been absolutely abysmal at the back this season with 53 goals conceded in 34 games. They also have the worst clean sheet record in the division having kept just two in 34 games – a pathetic 6% – the next worse is Northampton with 18% which just goes to show how terrible Gillingham have been in defence. Offensively they have been pretty decent in the last few weeks and have managed to score in each of their last eight league games.

Adrian Pennock was only appointed as the manager recently and unfortunately has been unable to stop Gillingham’s rot away from home with just two points from a possible 12 during his time in charge. Before Pennock arrived, they had only taken 11 from 13. As mentioned earlier, it has been the defence which has been the problem and the 35 goals that The Gills have conceded on their travels is the joint-worst record in the division, whilst they have also kept no clean sheets away from the Priestfield Stadium.

This match is certainly a ‘must not lose’ affair for both teams and, therefore, i’m not expecting a very exciting game. With both prioritising avoiding defeat rather than going for the win, a draw seems likely given the circumstances. It is certainly worth noting that the two previous meetings between this duo have ended all-square. 23/10 on the draw is certainly worth getting behind, while, if you fancy something at a bigger price, ‘Both Teams to Score & Draw’ at 37/10 also stands out.

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