Gills manager talks to the press ahead of Saturday's FA Cup first-round tie against Brackley Town
Gills manager Justin Edinburgh says the club’s players and management staff will not get complacent ahead of Saturday’s Emirates FA Cup first-round tie against Brackley Town at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium.
The two sides are separated by 60 places in the league pyramid, although the National League North side will go into Saturday’s game with the knowledge that they knocked the Gills out of this competition at the same stage in 2013.
Edinburgh on…preparation for the game: “Look at last year - we were flying in the league, but we never thought about putting the kids in, or that we’d be complacent in our preparations [for the FA Cup]. That’s the same this year. It’s an important competition, it provides good revenue for the club, and it deserves the respect it will get from us and our team selection. Regardless of the form we were in [going into Saturday’s match], I was always going to pick a team I thought could win the game.
“We know they’ll be up for the game and that they’ll be looking forward to it. They’ve got everything to gain and nothing to lose. We’ve looked at them in-depth, we’ve had them watched and we know there’s going to be more energy in their game than there normally is, but we have to go beyond that. They’re in good form, they’ve got two hard-working strikers upfront and a very good manager [Kevin Wilkin] who I know from my non-league days.”
Edinburgh on…being the favourites to win: “We know about giant-killings, we’ve enjoyed one ourselves against Watford this season, so we know what to expect. We’re expected to win, I won’t hide behind that. But it’s not always that easy, however we understand we’re in a results business and we need to start getting some [good ones].
“We’re striving to win. We haven’t had enough of those recently. Saturday’s an opportunity that we want to capitalise on. I think the performances are there, we have to keep replicating those. But we can’t continue not winning, it’s as simple as that. If we continue to perform, it’s only a matter of time before the wins will follow.”
Edinburgh on…available players: “We probably won’t have anyone back who missed last weekend [against Fleetwood Town], and we won’t have Chris Herd available [owing to a hamstring injury]. That’s a big loss, as he’s been excellent since he came in. It’s disappointing but we have to deal with that.”
Related stories
Watch the Gills on Bonfire Night from just £1!