Here is a chance for us to cause an upset this weekend like we did when we played Bournemouth in the first round of the FA Cup.

It’s a local game for us on Saturday and there should be a lot of Gillingham fans going.

There is no pressure on us – the pressure is all on them.

We gave them a great game in pre-season and we know how they play. They like to play it out from the back and like rotation in midfield.

Whether we drop off or press them is something we have been thinking about. We have been doing our homework and speaking to other managers and coaches, asking how they set up.

We went out and watched the Barnet-Macclesfield game the other night and bumped into the manager of MK Dons and we’ve also seen the Wycombe manager. You get talking and picking the brains of these people. Some managers will lend us DVDs, others won’t.

No doubt the Orient manager has been doing the same and that’s why you need to get out there and get that network of people to try and help
you.

Hopefully, we can now get a result and either win the game or bring them back here.

Everyone wants to be in the hat for the third round because that is when the big boys come in.

I watched Charlton end Huddersfield’s 43-game unbeaten run on Monday night and it’s been a fantastic achievement for the Yorkshire side.

I have known Huddersfield boss Lee Clark (pictured) since being a schoolboy alongside him at Newcastle when we grew up together.

He is so passionate, you can see that in his interviews and, for me, he will definitely be the Newcastle manager one day.

I remember when I first came to Gillingham we went on an impressive run at home and just failed to get into the play-offs.

We needed to beat Wigan but we ended up drawing here and I remember with the last kick of the game I hit the woodwork.

These days it’s a decent achievement just to go five games unbeaten. We all want to do it.

Look at Southend. We went there, played them off the park and lost the game 1-0. We were scratching our heads and wondering how that happened but they haven’t lost since and are not conceding goals either.

The game has lost an iconic figure at the weekend and there won’t be another Gary Speed (pictured).

I came up against him a few times and I remember what an honour it was to be playing against a fantastic pro like him.

He was the sort of player you would see in the tunnel and struggle to believe you were playing against that kind of guy.

Our thoughts go out to his family and we are just in deep shock. I was in a state of numbness when I saw the news of his death come through on the TV. I was on the phone to the manager at the time and he said he had seen it flash up on the TV. There was a stunned silence. We couldn’t believe it.

Soon after the news broke, Swansea played Aston Villa and I was fighting back the tears myself as the fans broke out into a minute’s applause before the game.