Gillingham's Neil Harris has already enjoyed a giant-killing in the FA Cup against Leicester City while at Millwall
Published: 05:00, 06 January 2023
Updated: 10:39, 06 January 2023
Gillingham manager Neil Harris is plotting a weekend cup shock - bigger than the one he accomplished against Leicester City in 2017.
Harris led his former side Millwall to victory over the Foxes six years ago, his League 1 side beating the then Premier League champions in the FA Cup to claim a place in the quarter-finals. Gillingham come up against Leicester in the third round at Priestfield.
On Saturday afternoon Harris will be hoping his Gillingham team - who sit bottom of League 2 - can somehow defy the odds and get a positive result against Brendan Rodgers’ top-flight outfit.
“I hope it is every bit as exciting as the last time I managed a team against Leicester in the FA Cup,” Harris said.
“I want to enjoy the environment, I want to enjoy the atmosphere and I want our fans to come and enjoy the day. We have all had a tough period.
“I want the players to test themselves against top quality opposition and see where it takes us.”
Harris knocked out Claudio Ranieri’s side back in 2017. It’s different times now but the FA Cup has never lacked surprises.
“We were going well in League 1 at the time," Harris recalled. "The difference now is we are a league below and have struggled this season, so miles apart.
“The similarity is that we are the underdog, we are playing Leicester City, but they have a different manager, different players, I am at a different club with different players, different time and space, but the challenge is the same. We have to pull off a monumental effort to try and get a positive result but this is the beauty of the FA cup isn’t it? Anything’s possible.”
The Gills have already beaten Premier League Brentford in the Carabao Cup, taking that tie to penalties after drawing the match 1-1. They were knocked out of the competition at Wolves.
Harris and his players will by now know the script.
“It is going to be tough,” Harris acknowledged. “Leicester will have the football, no secret to that, anyone coming to watch, don’t expect Gillingham to command the footballing areas, but we want to be competitive and have a right go and cause an upset.
“We set up against Brentford and Wolves to contain an opponent and hurt them the best we can when we see their weaknesses, we did a sterling job in both those games and that will be the plan again. The difference here is this place (Priestfield) will be full, when this place is full there is a great atmosphere and a great feel to it. It won’t intimidate the opposition with world class players but we can try and make it as awkward as we can for Leicester.
“We need some luck but we can do it with a smile on our face and enjoy it.
“Let’s enjoy this one and then next weekend against Hartlepool (in the league) let’s make that the start of us winning games of football and get up the division.”
Harris has a lot of respect for his counterpart Rodgers.
He said: “Brendan is a class act isn’t he? The way he speaks, his composure, any time I have spent with him he gives off the aura that he is always in control of situations.
"To finish like he did early in his career and go on and coach and manage at the highest level is testimony to his character and his leadership qualities.”
Harris will certainly be hoping the tie is settled on the day. The Gills already have three postponed league games that they have yet to schedule into the 2023 calendar and with a relegation scrap ahead, even the lure of a match at the King Power Stadium isn’t for the Gills boss.
He said: “If it is tight in the second half we will be going to win the game. Neither team is going to want a replay, Brendan is not going to want a replay, neither do we.
"Towards the end if it is tight of course it changes the mindset, they are going to want to win and so are we, to start with it is about having a suitable game plan and containing Leicester but for us to also try and land a punch on them.”
Gillingham are unlikely to name a full 20-man matchday squad. Nine substitutes are permitted.
Haji Mnoga and Glenn Morris have ended their loan spells, while Lewis Walker and Ben Reeves are out injured.
Harris has confirmed that Reeves will be missing for the rest of the season after suffering cruciate ligament damage to his knee in the Boxing Day match against Colchester United.
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Luke Cawdell