‘A New Era Ahead’ – The Word On City’s Cup Opponents
- Leicester meet Gillingham in the third round of the Emirates FA Cup
- The meeting at Priestfield Stadium on Saturday 7 January has a 12:30pm kick-off
- Kent Online reporter Luke Cadwell shares his thoughts ahead of the match
- Fans can tune in to free commentary on LCFC.com
After a midweek defeat at the hands of Fulham at King Power Stadium, the Foxes look to return to winning ways when they face Gillingham – a team currently bottom of the English Football League, in cup action this weekend.
A lone goal from Aleksandar Mitrović on Tuesday night left City with three league defeats from three since the restart on Boxing Day. Therefore, facing a team with two league wins all season may be the perfect opportunity to get back on track.
However, Gillingham reporter Cawdell believes that the current situation with the League Two side isn’t as straightforward as it may seem, when he shared his pre-match thoughts with LCFC TV.
The journalist said: “If you weren’t quite familiar with what’s going on at Gillingham, you’d look at the table and believe they’re destined for the non-league.
“We’ve only scored seven goals and won two games out of 23. But there’s belief around the club, with our new owner who’s putting a structure in place behind the scenes. There’s one new signing already, and more on the way. So even though it looks like a desperate time for the club, it’s far from it.
“There’s a new era about to start after the visit of Leicester, so hopefully good times are coming, and the signings that we’ll make will keep us out of trouble from the relegation zone, then we can start to look forward.”
Despite a shining light of hope around the The Gills, Cawdell isn’t unrealistic with his match predictions ahead of Saturday, understanding the enormity of the task at hand.
“It’s a free hit for us (the cup game against Leicester),” he continued. “The manager said in his press conference that there is no pressure whatsoever. It’s all about enjoying the occasion, learning from the challenge, and selling out the stadium.
“The new owner is from America, and he’s going to be unveiled to the fans ahead of kick-off so there should be a feel-good factor at Priestfield Stadium.
“What happens during the game, I don’t know. We’re not expecting a lot from it, but there is a sense of optimism for the future. We’ve just got to get through this game and not get hurt by the result too much!”
While better times may be on the horizon for the Kent-based club, the reporter explains how this doesn’t change the past, nor the horrendous season that they’ve had so far.
“I imagine the manager will already know who is in his plans,” he told LCFC TV. “To be honest there isn’t many fringe players because there aren’t many players. They won’t be filling the bench I imagine, as Gillingham only have about 18 fit senior players.
“Not many of them will be looking at this game as a chance of redemption, but you never know what moment may arise to place themselves in the history books. Most importantly it’s a day for everyone to enjoy.
“Hopefully it’s not raining because it could be a long afternoon for Leicester fans, as they watch Gillingham put 11 players behind the ball, trying to keep out Premier League opposition.”
The last round saw Gillingham beat Dagenham & Redbridge 3-2 at home. A 90th minute winner from Hakeeb Adelakun confirmed their spot against Leicester.
Cawdell confirms that they are looking forward to facing off against City on Saturday afternoon, but admits they would like a result to be determined on the day, rather than forcing a replay into an already busy schedule.
“They won’t want to force a replay,” the reporter explained. “This is Gillingham’s 35th game already, so they’ll want a conclusion to the match. If it’s 0-0 with 15 minutes to go, they might be a bit adventurous and go for it. If you look at our stats, it’s not a great season at all, but these cup games have been a breath of fresh air.
“We’ve got the big man up front, Mikael Mandron, who equalised against Brentford (in the EFL Cup) so he could be the player to offer something in the moment but I’m not sure if he’ll even be picked as the team have been so inconsistent, there’s no players who have been able to keep their space.
“It’s definitely an occasion for someone to make a name for themselves, in a season that has struggled to take off but hopefully following Saturday, you’ll start to see a new Gillingham side.”
All times GMT.