Northampton Town v Gillingham preview: Manager Neil Harris looks ahead to League 2 match on Easter Monday at Sixfields

Gillingham manager Neil Harris is wary of a backlash when they face promotion-chasing Northampton.

The Gills are up against a Town side who sit second in the League 2 table but were left reeling on Friday after suffering a shock 3-0 defeat at lowly Newport. It was the team’s first defeat in nine.

Northampton’s impressive form had led to their manager Jon Brady picking up the March manager of the month award - pipping Harris to the accolade.

Looking ahead to today's game, Harris said: “I would have thought Jon would be looking for a reaction because they lost 3-0 at Newport, they won’t be happy about that.

“That is the league at this stage, Newport are on level points with us and a team that is maybe looking and building with a bit of freedom compared to Northampton, a team maybe feeling a bit of pressure trying to get into the top three.

“Northampton missed out right at the end of last season. The expectation was to get promoted last year, and this year.

“They are a hard working unit and well organised. The majority of the time they play 4-5-1 and what they have got is a lot of League 2 knowhow, and they have got goals, players like Hoskins and Pinnock, players that make the difference at this level. Hoskins with over 20 goals can be the difference.

“We have to make sure we stop their threats but it’s about us as well and making sure our game management is slightly better than last time out (away from home) at Barrow.”

The Gills have pulled clear of relegation trouble in League 2 thanks to their winning home form but Harris knows they will need to do better away from Priestfield next season if they are to challenge at the top end.

Harris said: “The only thought process for us is to keep amassing points between now and