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Gillingham boss Steve Evans would love to be facing West Ham’s strongest XI this weekend.
New Hammers boss David Moyes may take the opportunity to look at some of his lesser experienced pros in the FA Cup third round fixture.
Moyes won’t be heading to Priestfield under any of the pressure that would have been on former boss Manuel Pellegrini, who was sacked last week, after a disappointing first half of their Premier League campaign.
Evans said: “I’m expecting them to be at full strength, absolutely, I want them to be.
“I want the Gillingham public to see who they see on Match of the Day, to see who they see on the television and I want to see it. I want to be against them, but that’s David Moyes’ decision.
“They could turn up with an under-23 team and it would be game on wouldn’t it?
“We will prepare the boys as best we can and I know that every one of that first team squad wants to be on that pitch. It's an absolutely magnificent competition, the atmosphere will be electric and I am looking forward to it. This place will be rocking on Sunday.
“The players will believe. We have to go on the training ground and work hard. We want our supporters to turn up and believe and the only way they are going to do that is if we play with intensity and endeavour.”
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Sunday’s cup game comes at the end of a hectic festive schedule for the Gills, unbeaten in the four league games over that period.
Evans said: “It is a punishing schedule and I am in the camp where I feel there is too much football over Christmas, to turn up and play on the 23rd, 26th, 29th of December and then the 1st of January and then play someone like West Ham on the 5th. You have to consider the opponents we have had to play in that period.
“We have had to play some really tough games. Away at Portman Road, Portsmouth here, Rochdale who have beaten Accrington, what does that tell you about our win the other day? We absolutely dominated them.
“MK Dons have won back to back games, they beat Portsmouth and then Bristol Rovers 3-0 and we absolutely tore them apart. It just shows you how good we have been.
“I would have loved to have been seven days fresh ahead of the game (against Portsmouth on New Year's Day. I don’t think we would have had that first half, I think we were a little down.”
Despite the schedule, Evans has been able to name the same XI in each and every game. He praised the work of those behind the scenes for preparing a team that could cope.
He said: “We have got a real resilience and it’s a real credit to the fitness team who work really hard and credit to the players themselves.
“Paul Raynor has been with me a long time and he is the main coach, he deserves huge, huge credit. I am the manager and he is the coach and he is brilliant at it.
“Roycey does what he does with the keepers and Jack Bonham is a top keeper now. James Russell who was unheard of (to us) before did a similar job for Mad Dog here. He got them fit and I have given him that same autonomy.
“They deserve enormous credit, as do the medical department. We all pull in the same direction and we fight for the cause.”
Evans may well name the same XI for the cup game. It would be harsh now to drop anyone, but the likes of Mark Marshall and Alex Jakubiak have been impressing off the bench.
The manager said: “The subs are hurting. If you are a boy who has been left out of the team, if you have been sitting on that bench for a few weeks now, of course they are hurting, they train all week and want to play.
“I say to them, ‘don’t come into my office and tell me what you’re going to do, do it’, because my eyes are not pickled onions, I will see it.
“I said to Alex and Marshy when I named the team (on Wednesday) that they have the right to look at me and say after what we’ve done in recent weeks ‘why aren’t we in?’ I said to them, just give me the same response, come onto the pitch and have that impact. Suddenly our levels are upped 20% and in the last 20 minutes (against Portsmouth) we should win."
