Stephen Clemence insists he doesn’t want Saturday’s game at Gillingham to be about him – in what is a top-of-the-table clash.
Clemence’s Barrow side sit joint on points with the Gills at the top of League 2 after their opening seven games.
“I don’t want the game to be about me at all,” he insisted. “I’m very respectful of Gillingham and I left there on good terms and I have got no animosity towards anyone at the club.
“Nothing would please me more if we were both successful at the end of the season but obviously when I turn up there at the weekend I will be treating it like any other game and I’ll be trying to get three points.”
Clemence was appointed Gillingham head coach in November last year, in what was his first job in the lead role, having been assistant to Steve Bruce for over a decade at several top-level clubs.
His remit was simple, to get the team pushing for promotion, but they fell short, winning 12 of his 34 matches and eventually finishing the season mid-table.
Clemence had hoped to spend the summer rebuilding his team at Gillingham but instead found himself looking for a job, which came quicker than expected.
At the end of May, just four weeks after being sacked from his job at Priestfield, he agreed a two-year deal to manage Barrow, taking with him assistant boss Robbie Stockdale.
Both teams have won five of their openings seven games, collecting 16 points.
He felt his time at the Gills had ended prematurely but heads to Priestfield in a good place. Gillingham’s current boss Mark Bonner has already said he hoped there will be a good reception for their former head coach.
“There is no rivalry between me and Mark,” he said, speaking with BBC Cumbria Sport, before echoing Bonner’s sentiments, saying: “I know how difficult this job is, it’s very tough and I respect anybody that does it.
“He’s obviously got a big job on his hands at Gillingham. They will be one of the favourites to go up and if they are successful at the end of the season and we are too then that will be great.”
Clemence knows plenty of the Gillingham players and staff and said: “I’m very grateful to Gillingham because they gave me my first opportunity as a coach.
“I left prematurely but that’s set up me to come into Barrow, which I’m really enjoying.
“”I’m looking forward to the game and the chance to see a bunch of old faces.
“We know that Gillingham have some very good players but we do as well.
One of Clemence’s key summer signings was winger Connor Mahoney, who impressed while at the Gills under him last season, but the 27-year-old is currently out with a thigh injury and isn’t expected to be involved this weekend.
Barrow’s last game on Tuesday was at Chelsea, in the Carabao Cup, losing 5-0.
It was a big game for the club at Stamford Bridge but Gillingham manager Bonner isn’t sure whether that will benefit his own team.
Bonner said: “You never know. You could look at it and think all the travelling and that sort of level game can (have an impact), but the other side, having taken those sorts of games before, it can have the opposite effect as well.
“You’re on cloud nine. You’ve had an unbelievable experience. You’ve had a tough game, but an experience that you can learn from. The atmosphere in the away end was great. They’ll be buoyed by that.
“They’re in really good form, so I’m sure that they’ll be coming wanting to do well.
“We have no control over that whatsoever. Our job is just to get ourselves ready to be excellent. If we do that, then we’ve got to hope that that’s enough.”
