JOHN Coleman has done his homework on Gillingham as they make the trip up north to the Wham Stadium.

Both sides have had travelling to do in the week with Stanley down in Peterborough and the Gills going to Shrewsbury.

Just one point separates the two sides in League One and a win for either team could see them rise up the standings.

"We were fortunate that we were in the hotel on Tuesday night, so we watched their game against Shrewsbury live on iFollow," said Coleman.

"They can be a threat, but any team can be a threat in this league. We’ve got to hope that we can build on our home form.

"Our home performances have been very good this season, we haven’t always had the results that they’ve merited, but the performances have been good.

"Hopefully, we can turn in another good performance to reward the fans who come and watch.

"I’d like to put it on record and thank the ones who made the trek to Peterborough on a Wednesday night to support us. It’s very much appreciated by the staff and the players."

Stanley's pitch was completely relaid in the summer after coming in for much criticism over the years.

The new surface is now one of the best in the league and is key to how the Reds like to play football.

"It’s been well documented how much our pitch has improved and how much we’ve spent on it to get it in that situation," added the Reds boss.

"It’s not good having a good pitch if you’re not prepared to play the game, we want to play it.

"Sometimes we’ve been guilty of overplaying, but I think we’re getting the balance just right now.

"We’re starting to play in the right areas, and we can be effective when we do."

The Reds boss has been in the game long enough to appreciate his players need rest at the right times in order to save them from injuries.

"I appreciate that the players have to be looked after and we have to balance our training," said Coleman.

"In the main, I think we get that right or we have done over the years. Players will have individual needs – not all players are the same. "Some people need to train physically hard before a game and some don’t. It’s getting the balance right.

"You get used to that the more you do it."

Stanley were beaten 4-0 away at Peterborough during the week, but he doesn't think the scoreline told the full story.

"We’ve turned in a decent performance on Wednesday, certainly for the first half and then the game can unravel on you and once you concede the second goal, you get a false perspective," Coleman added.

"Some people can have a slanted idea because they’ve seen the score line. We’re disappointed with the way we unravelled and conceded the third and the fourth.

"The second goal was probably the killer goal, first goal was also crucial.

"We know that there was enough in our performance to suggest that it’s not all doom and gloom and we will be able to be a force to be reckoned with when we play any team.

"Everyone says that the first goal was crucial, there manager said that when I went into the office.

"We got the first goal. Darren Ferguson has to have a hard look at his analysts if they think that that’s handball because they might be telling him what he wants to hear and not facts.

"The fact is, it was no where near his arm or his hand."