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Gillingham’s impressive home form is set for a major test in the coming days.
League 1 big-boys Portsmouth are the visitors on New Year’s Day and that game is followed on Sunday by the arrival of Premier League West Ham United in the FA Cup.
Steve Evans’ side head into those games with seven straight wins behind them on home soil, in all competitions.
“We are going to have to be good in the next two, aren’t we?” said the Gills manager.
“We can only focus now on recovering the boys and making sure that we do our preparation and our homework for Portsmouth.
“I have enormous respect for a wonderful football club, they are one of the three giants in this league, along with Sunderland and Ipswich Town. They are the three with the big budgets and the big crowds, and that will be another severe test for us.”
Portsmouth have had an upturn in form over recent times but slipped up on Sunday with a 3-1 defeat at lowly MK Dons. They had beaten leaders Wycombe and title-chasing Ipswich in the two games before that.
“They have had some unbelievable results,” Evans said.
“Kenny Jackett (the Portsmouth boss) is a wily old fox, he has a wonderful management team. They will be ready for us, we will be ready for them, it will be a big crowd and we hope we do ourselves justice.”
More on the Gills;
The Gills head into the Pompey match off the back of a 1-0 win over Rochdale, a result that took them up to 11th in League 1, just four points outside the play-offs places.
Evans said: “If they watched the first hour (against Rochdale) they would probably have a little smile and write down a few notes where we weren’t at our best.
“We need to get the boys freshened up, get them ready and consider who we are going to play. Preparation and recovery is key.”
West Ham will be at Priestfield for a televised sell-out FA Cup third round clash with a new manager at the helm. Manuel Pellegrini got the sack by the Hammers board after their loss at home to Leicester City on Saturday, leaving them 17th in the Premier League, just a point above the drop zone.
Former Everton and Manchester United boss David Moyes has returned as Pellegrini’s successor, ahead of their league game against Bournemouth on New Year’s Day. A trip to Priestfield follows on Sunday, with a 6.16pm kick-off.
A change of manager might not be helpful to the Gills, according to Evans, who was at the London Stadium to watch their defeat to Leicester.
He said: “It would make it extra tough because a new manager going in there will want to set the right impressions to the West Ham public.
“But we will worry about West Ham when we’ve dealt with the might of Portsmouth.
“We know the quality that Kenny Jackett has assembled and at the start of the season they were one of my tips to be in the top two or three.”
