Mark Bonner doesn’t have to look far for a connection to Steve Bruce but he’ll come up against him for the first time in his career this weekend.
Gillingham boss Bonner will be in the dugout when Bruce returns to Priestfield as Blackpool manager in the FA Cup first round on Saturday.
The duo have a common colleague in Colin Calderwood. Bonner served as his assistant manager at Cambridge United while Calderwood was part of Bruce’s coaching staff at Aston Villa, a set-up that also included former Gills boss Stephen Clemence.
“We’ve lived in different worlds, he’s had a much better career than mine!” responded Bonner, when asked if he’d come up against Bruce before. “He’s not someone I’ve come across.
“I worked with Colin Calderwood, who worked with Steve at Aston Villa and also with Stephen Clemence so they were all part of the same team so indirectly I’ve had plenty of stories about them.
“What a career he’s (Bruce) had. Since going in at Blackpool, they’ve had a huge surge in their performances and the energy around the place. He got manager of the month early on and they’ve had a struggle of results recently but he’s good, his team is good and his squad is good.
“I’m sure at that level they are one of many teams in League 1 pushing for play-off positions, they’re certainly capable of doing that.
“Much like us, they will probably see this like a nice break from the league and a chance for them to get a result which they haven’t had for a while, and we’re probably in the same position ourselves.”
It’s a hard game to prepare for in terms of knowing how seriously sides will take the competition, whether they see it as an opportunity to progress and earn extra revenue – or a chance to rotate their squad and ensure league aspirations remain their priority.
Whichever approach Blackpool take, Bonner’s experience of managing against them in previous seasons means he’s unlikely to be fazed by their selection.
“It’s difficult to know how a team approaches it in terms of how many changes they might make,” added Bonner.
“I’ve played against them and know a lot of their players fairly well over the last few years having seen them up close.
“They’ve got a very good squad and whatever XI they pick it’s going to be a strong team, very athletic, really direct wide players, really aggressive attacking full-backs, a front two that can cause you all sorts of problems, midfield players with brilliant passing range – I’m making them sound amazing!
“They are very good at the level they play at and the players they’ve got. But at the same time, we think there are ways which we can counter that, prevent that, and problems we can cause them.
“It’s a good opportunity for us to test ourselves against those players but you know, in a moment, a really good individual can cause you a problem.
“We’ll have to be at a really high level ourselves but that’s what the FA Cup does. This weekend, there will be shedloads of surprises and we’re hopefully going to be one of them.”
Bruce will return to the dugout for the first time this weekend since the death of his four-month-old grandson Madison.
The former Gillingham and Manchester United defender issued a statement on Thursday.
“On Tuesday we laid my grandson Madison to rest,” wrote Bruce. “It’s been the worst time of my family’s entire lives and is something no family should have to endure.
“I’d like to take this opportunity on behalf of all the family to thank everyone for the tributes and messages from inside and outside the footballing world. It has touched us all.
“I’d also like to thank David, Julian, and the owner Simon for their understanding and support.
“I look forward to seeing you all on Saturday at Gillingham, and back at Bloomfield Road.
“Look after your loved ones.”
