Neil Harris hopes famous Brentford win will 'spark' Gillingham into form against 'athletic' Cobblers

Gillingham manager Neil Harris hopes his side’s sensational upset of Premier League Brentford in the EFL Cup on Tuesday will ‘spark’ their season into life as they prepare to host Northampton this weekend.

Ivan Toney’s third-minute goal seemingly set Brentford on course for a routine home win but, despite the hosts completely dominating all of the statistics, Gills made their one and only shot count as Mikael Mandron equalised with 15 minutes to play. They then triumphed 7-6 in a penalty shoot-out.

Up until Tuesday it has been a tough campaign for Harris’ men. Relegated from League One last season, Gillingham currently languish just one place and one point outside the relegation zone in the fourth tier and have managed only six goals in their 16 league games.

“We needed that, we needed something to spark us,” Harris said to Kent Online. “There will be a buzz about the place and we have to feed off that.

“It is down to the players to respond, there can be no 'after the Lord Mayor’s show', after a big scalp Tuesday, we need to make sure we are at it on Saturday. Northampton is our biggest game of the season so far because it’s the next one and we’re playing against a very good side.

“They are athletic, a hard working side, they’ve got some ability at the top end of the pitch, well organised, and have goal scoring and running ability, knowledge of the division, they are competitive and want to be promoted. They want to be in the top three and we know it is going to be another challenge.

“I wouldn’t say they are miles ahead of us, points, yes, we just don’t score enough goals, that is the bottom line again. We really look forward to it with a bounce from Tuesday and look forward to welcoming a decent side to Priestfield, a really good challenge for us.

“We are going to have to be are best for 90 minutes, 45 or 60 won’t cut it, that is the challenge to my players, to make sure they are at it for the majority of the game.”

As for team news, Elkan Baggott and Ben Reeves are doubts while David Tutonda and Olly Lee remain out.