Gillingham won’t be sitting back when Premier League Sheffield United come to town.
The Gills have started to create plenty of goalscoring opportunities in recent games – 56 shots in their last three – and head coach Stephen Clemence wants them to continue to keep that momentum going in the FA Cup.
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Goals have still been in short supply but at least the EFL basement division’s lowest scorers are starting to look more of a threat.
Clemence said: “We will have a game plan and I would imagine they will have more of the ball than us, they are a Premier League team, of course you need to have a plan of how to set up defensively against them but when we go forward we have to try and commit bodies forward otherwise we will never score.
“Every game is a challenge, this will be a bigger one, but we will be going to have a go. We’re not just going too roll over, we have to try and make an impact and try and disrupt Sheffield United’s rhythm, try and create some chances ourselves and see where it takes us.
“We won’t be sitting back and waiting to get beat, that’s for sure, we will do the best we can to get a result.”
The visitors sit bottom of the Premier League, with just two wins all season, and although they may be lacking confidence, the visitors will see a visit to Kent as a chance to give themselves a much needed boost.
Clemence doesn’t feel Chris Wilder’s side’s woes will have an impact on the weekend game.
He said: “Chris is a fantastic manager, he has done it at the lower levels and to take a team to the Premier League like he did and the way his team played, was absolutely fantastic. I have a lot of respect for him.
“I have come up against him quite a few times while working alongside Steve (Bruce) and have been on the end of some good results but had some difficult ones as well. I’m looking forward to competing against him myself now and hopefully we can do a good job.
“I am not looking into where they are, they are Premier League players, a Premier League manager and a Premier League club.
“There is no point me analysing their last game against Manchester City (a 2-0 loss) because we are not going to be able to do what Manchester City can do. Obviously we have analysed Sheffield United, we will have a game plan that we will try and put into place but it will be a very difficult game, they have top players.”
The Gills go into the game off the back of successive 1-0 victories in League 2 – taking them to within a point of the play-off places.
“We have some good players,” Clemence said. “They should be feeling more confident about themselves and the challenge for my lads is, ‘go and show us what you can do, look forward to taking on an elite player, an elite team, go and test yourself against them’.
“I am not gong to come out and say ‘of course we can do it’, it will be a difficult game, we are going to need a lot of things to go right for us on the day but it’s the FA Cup and you do often see upsets in the third round and why can’t it be us?
“There is no point in us playing if we are not going to believe that. We are going to have a go, try and take them on and let’s see where we are on Saturday evening.
“We are going to need to play very well to get a result, we are going to need our fans right behind us and I know they will be. I am really excited to get in front of a full house at Priestfield and they are going to have to help us make it difficult for Sheffield United.”
Clemence has confirmed that they will be without injured Jonny Williams this weekend. Fellow midfielder Tim Dieng is back in training but remains a fitness doubt.
