We look ahead to the upcoming fixtures in Sky Bet League 1.
Saturday 3rd January 2015Fleetwood Town v Swindon Town
The Cod Army (11th - 30 points): Overcame Rochdale 2-0 last time out to end a five-game winless run and move within three points of the Play-offs. Their last three home games have all resulted in defeats, but they won their previous three matches on home soil before that stretch.
The Robins (2nd - 47 points): Two wins over the festive period rounded off a successful 2014 for Mark Cooper’s men and they could move to the summit with a victory in Lancashire. They have the best away record in Sky Bet League 1, collecting 23 points from 11 games on the road so far.
Just the one: The reverse meeting between these two was their first ever clash, and Swindon won it 1-0 with Ben Gladwin scoring the decisive goal.
Port Vale v Gillingham
The Valiants (15th - 29 points): Were the last team to taste defeat against Swindon, and that 1-0 reverse came after Vale had won their previous two by a 2-1 scoreline. Five of their eight wins have come at home, where they’ve lost just once in seven in the league.
The Gills (20th - 25 points): Have won two and lost two since drawing with Port Vale at the end of November. Peter Taylor has been relieved of his duties as manager so Andy Hessenthaler will be in charge for this weekend’s game. The Gills have notched only two wins from 11 on the road - the third worst away record in the division.
Level-pegging: The head-to-head record between these two reads 15 wins apiece, alongside 16 draws.
Walsall v Coventry City
The Saddlers (12th - 30 points): Suffered a first defeat in eight on Boxing Day and recovered two days later by seeing off MK Dons 3-0, moving them within three points of the top six. That loss to the Robins ended a run of five unbeaten games at Banks’s Stadium, where they’ve only lost three league matches this term.
The Sky Blues (17th - 26 points): Have become one of the division’s draw specialists having shared the points in four matches of their last eight games, and eight times overall this season. They’ve struggled away from home so far but their two victories on the road have come over their last three trips.
Home, not so sweet home: Walsall have only managed to overcome Coventry once on home soil since 1959 - in eight meetings - and that was in 2012/13 when they triumphed 4-0 against the Sky Blues.
All games are 3pm kick-offs.