Gillingham take their one hundred percent record on the road this weekend as Neil Harris and the travelling faithful head for Sussex to face a Crawley Town side who have also made an excellent start to the season. 

“I’m not surprised that Crawley have started well,” Harris told us. “Once a new manager goes in halfway through a season, you do what you can to stay in the division and do what you can to bed your ideas in, but ultimately all you’re doing is trying to learn about your group and then take it forward.” 

That’s what happened to Crawley last season with their new manager a very familiar face to Kent football fans – Scott Lindsey.

Harris continued, “When Scott went in there, he knew what the remit was – to keep Crawley in the League which he did, and at the same time try to implement some ideas whilst working out who he wanted and who he didn’t.”

“Pre-season is a time where you want time to bed your ideas in especially if you only went in halfway through as Scott did.”

“He’s clearly done that and we’re already seeing a philosophy of play that, coming up against his sides in the past, hasn’t changed.”

“He wants his team to pass and dominate the football – I’m not surprised they’ve started well, and we’ll know what to expect from the game and look forward to it.” 

“I think we’ll see Crawley want to dominate the football and want to control passages of the ball, and you’ll see us wanting to control it as well.”

“It’ll be a tight contest – they always are – although part of me thinks it may be a little bit open at times.” 

The Gills, whilst having two former Crawley players in their squad in Tom Nichols and Ashley Nadesan, will be coming up one of their own former players in defender Will Wright who left Priestfield in the summer.

“It was a move for the best of him,” Harris admitted.

“He’s a great lad, a great pro, good player and I’m really pleased he’s still in the Football League.”

“He’s done well for them playing right side of three centre halves and it suits his game.”

“I can’t speak highly enough of him and am really pleased for him – just hope he doesn’t play well on Saturday!” 

“It’s down to other people to judge how well we’ve done in three separate games; obviously I’m delighted for the group and it’s my job to keep demanding more from them.”

“We’ve won three games and kept three clean sheets and scored a winning goal in each and found a way to win each one.”

“I’ve been fortunate to get the selection right in each one in rotating the players and picking the team I think best to attack an opponent and defend against them as well – it’s not always got to be the case as you do need some luck with that and for the players to respond well to that and those who have been in the team and then out of the team have been brilliant, and they are pushing all the time because they know that if they don’t play well, they won’t be starting the following game as someone else will be jumping into their position.”

“They all know what they bring to themselves and the group in any formation that I choose to play!”