Gillingham and Shrewsbury Town kick off the Coca-Cola Play-Off weekend with the League 2 Final on Saturday, which gets underway at 3pm.

The Gills made it through to the Final with a 2-1 aggregate win over Rochdale at the semi-final stage. Striker Simeon Jackson scored both goals at the Priestfield, after the first leg match ended goalless. It was the former Rushden & Diamonds frontman's 16th and 17th league goals of the season.

For the Shrews their hero of the semi-finals was goalkeeper Luke Daniels, who not only saved a spot-kick in normal time but then also saved twice in the penalty shoot-out. Paul Simpson's side were trailing 1-0 from the home leg after a mix up between Daniels and defender Neil Ashton and with time ebbing away Kevin McIntyre scored the equaliser with just two minutes of normal time remaining at Gigg Lane. The Salop also had to cope with being reduced to 10 men just seconds into extra time but that they did as they secured their place in the final.

A win for Mark Stimson's side would see them bounce back to League 1 at the first attempt, following their relegation just over 12 months ago. They finished third from bottom of the table then, with just 46 points from 46 games seeing them relegated along with Luton Town and Port Vale. They finished in fifth place in the table, just three points off an automatic place and six ahead of Saturday's opponents.

For Shrewsbury promotion would see them back in the third tier of English football for the first time since 1996/97, when they had spent three seasons at that level. Since then they have had a tough few years, even dropping out of the league in 2003.

They do hold one record which could inspire them this weekend, they are and will always be the first league club to score at the new Wembley Stadium, when they played in the first ever Play-Off final to be held there, against Bristol Rovers back in May 2007.

Stewart Drummond opened the scoring after just three minutes but two goals from Richard Walker, who is ironically now on loan at Shrewsbury, and one from Sammy Igoe secured a 3-1 win for the Pirates.

Ones To Watch

One of the Gills' stars of the season has to be the aforementioned Jackson, who has taken to League football like a duck to water. The former Rushden striker signed for Gillingham in January 2008 and has since scored 24 goals in 66 games. So far this season he has 20 goals to his name, including 19 in League 2. The 22-year-old has bagged braces against Morecambe and Bradford as well as the double in the last match against Dale. He also scored in the FA Cup third round match against Aston Villa which prompted speculation linking him with a move to the Premier League club, amongst others.

Grant Holt is another player who has been banging in the goals, in his first season at the Prostar Stadium. Paul Simpson splashed out £175,000 on taking the striker from Nottingham Forest and he began to repay the faith immediately scoring on his debut against Macclesfield Town. He went on to score a further 27 goals including 20 in League 2 which earned him the FourFourTwo Player of the Year award for League 2. He also bagged four goals in the 7-0 win over Wycombe Wanderers earlier in the season.

Head to Head

The two sides have met 50 times, the first back in November 1951 when the game at the Gay Meadow ended 2-2. The return match in the following March also ended all square as the sides played out a goalless draw at the Priestfield Stadium.

Last season saw one of the freakiest scorelines occur between these two sides when Shrewsbury crushed the Gills 7-0 at home. Michael Jackson opened the scoring on 27 minutes before Dave Hibbert, Ben Davies and Graham Coughlan made it 4-0 at the break. Shane Cansdell-Sherriff, Holt and a second for skipper Davies completed the rout and gave the home side their best win of the season, which was to be repeated a month later against Wycombe.

The return match at the Priestfield was a closer affair. The home side took a two goal lead, thanks to strikes from Curtis Weston and Nicky Southall but with just 11 minutes to Grant Holt got his first of the afternoon from the penalty spot, before grabbing a point with a goal in injury time.

Prior to this season the two sides last met in the 1996/97 season with the Gills completing the double over their Shropshire rivals. A 2-1 win at Gay Meadow, which saw Iffy Onuora and Dennis Bailey on target for visitors, while Darren Currie scored a consolation goal.Two goals from Ade Akinbiyi secured the three points at home, seven months later , as the 2-0 win condemned Shrewsbury to relegation.

The Managers

As a player Stimson began his career with Tottenham before enjoying loan spells with Leyton Orient and Gillingham. He joined Newcastle in 1989 before moving onto Portsmouth and Southend before rejoining Orient on a free transfer. It was there he enjoyed his first experience of the Play-Offs, 10 years ago. The defender featured in both semi-finals against Rotherham before being an unused substitute in the final defeat ironically by Scunthorpe United, who will be in action again on Sunday.

He took the first steps into management in 2002 taking over at Grays Athletic who he led to two consecutive FA Trophy victories and a place in the Play-Offs, where they lost to Halifax. The 41-year-old eventually resigned after the club failed in their attempt to gain promotion to the Football League and then took charge of Stevenage Borough, where he once again lifted the FA Trophy in 2007, before taking charge of Gillingham later that year.

Paul Simpson and the Play-Offs seem to go hand in hand, as both a player and manager. As a player with Derby County he lost out twice at the final hurdle, going down to Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City before they eventually sealed automatic promotion in 1996.

He had better luck while at Blackpool scoring the third goal in their 4-2 win over Leyton Orient at the Millennium Stadium. A defeat against Rushden & Diamonds at the semi final stage, while with Rochdale followed before the 42 -year-old moved into management with Carlisle United.

After suffering relegation from the league in his first season the born and bred Cumbrian won the Conference Play-Offs, beating Stevenage 1-0 at Stoke's Britannia Stadium. A year later and Carlisle were promoted again as Champions of League 2. After a spell at Preston North End, Simpson was named Shrewsbury Manager in March 2008.

Team News

Gillingham midfielder Nicky Southall is hoping for a place on the bench at Wembley, in what could be his final match for the club. The 37-year-old has made 39 appearances this season but found himself out of favour in recent weeks.

Adam Miller could return for Stimson, after missing both legs of the semi-final against Rochdale with an ankle injury. Miller is one of four players who won the FA Trophy at Wembley, under the stewardship of Mark Stimson back in 2007, Barry Fuller, John Nutter and goalkeeper Alan Julian were the others.

Simpson will be without defender Michael Jackson, after he failed to recover from a knee injury, and Steve Leslie who is suspended after being sent off against Bury.

Striker Dave Hibbert is also a doubt after he suffered a foot injury.

For all the latest news on Shrewsbury Town please click here