Gillingham have been handed a home draw in the FA Cup first round – and a possible reunion for Andy Hessenthaler with Dover.

The Gills were paired at home to Farnborough or Dover, who drew 1-1 on Saturday in their fourth qualifying round tie.

Hessenthaler (pictured with Darren Hare during their time at Dover) quit Crabble in the summer to take up the hotseat at Priestfield for the second time in his career.

The move left a bitter taste at Dover, particularly when the Gills went back and snapped up Nicky Southall and Ian Hendon – who had agreed to take over as Dover boss but never signed a contract – to join Hessenthaler on the coaching staff at Priestfield.

Darren Hare, Hessenthaler’s assistant at Dover, soon followed to take charge of the youth set-up at Priestfield.

Hessenthaler still has fond memories of the club but acknowledges that the fans may not be so keen on him now.

He said: "They may not have a lot of time for me but I can safely say that where they were when I took over them in football terms wasn’t where they ought to be and they are now playing Conference football in Conference South.

"They have got some fantastic players which we brought to the club and Martin (Hayes) is now making his own stamp on things down there and bringing his own players in. They’ve kept the momentum going.

"I’m sure a lot of the Dover fans would look at it and think there is a chance for a bit of revenge there but I don’t see it that way. They may do."

Hessenthaler may not have got the ideal opponents - assuming that is Dover can win the replay at Crabble on Tuesday night - but did get a home draw which he wanted.

"You are always looking for a home draw," he said.

"If you can get a decent run of home games in the cup then you can go a long way, especially with the record we’ve got. This year we’ve only lost the one game (at home)."

Hessenthaler had little success in the FA Cup with Dover and his penultimate game in a Gillingham shirt came five years ago in the same competition, with the Gills bowing out in embarrassing circumstances after losing at Burscough.

"I played for 10, 15 minutes of that game before getting injured and we don’t want one of those again," he said.

He added: "The league is our main priority but the cup can be a nice distraction because financially it’s good."

Click here for reaction from Dover.

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