Gillingham have offered a helping hand to non-league side Sheppey United, in their efforts to cause an upset in this weekends FA Cup first round.
Sheppey of the Isthmian South East, are the lowest ranked club left in the competition this season. They take on League Two Walsall on Friday night at Holm Park.
The Gills played Walsall in early October, suffering a 4-1 defeat at the Bescot Stadium. They have now sent their information from the game to Sheppey, in a quest to help them secure a famous result.
Despite the help, manager Ernie Batten will not be looking to issue too much information to his players for their historic cup tie.
Speaking to Kent Online he said: "We will keep it simple. With part-time football you can't overload on that sort of thing, you haven't got four or five hours every day like the professionals have where you do the training and then do a bit in the classroom afterwards, looking at footage and that type of work."
"Our players have been at work all day, you want to do the training, a bit of analysis, but you mustn't overload them because that becomes fatiguing. How much are they going to retain if they have been at work all day and they are getting home at 11 o'clock at night, and then at work the next morning?"
The Saddlers currently sit 15th in League Two, after a season of mixed results so far. Their latest result come in the way of a 2-1 defeat away to Mansfield Town, ending their run of three games unbeaten.
The Ites currently sit 14th in the Isthmian South East division. They have also had a mixed start to their campaign with two wins, two losses and two draws in their opening six games.
It is the first time in the clubs history they have made the first round proper of the FA Cup. They bested Midhurst & Easebourne F.C, Kennington FC, Merthyr Town and Billericay Town in the four qualifying rounds to reach this stage.
Writer's View
The FA Cup really is a competition like no other, and it throws up games that you are barely likely to see. It is a great opportunity for clubs lower down the football league pyramid to face some of the biggest sides in the country, and a great chance to make history.
There has been many memorable cup shocks in the history of the world famous competition, and a result for Sheppey United on Friday night would prove to be one of the biggest shocks it has seen in a very long time. It is always great to see the smaller clubs doing well, not just for the story, but the great financial support it provides for clubs who need it more than ever. It is something to keep in mind, with the bigger clubs looking to scrap the opportunities for these clashes.
Who is this? Damien Duff Alan Smith Share this: Like this: Like Loading...