Gills boss Andy Hessenthaler has challenged his side to keep the momentum building towards their FA Cup second-round clash with Leyton Orient.

The Gills booked their place in round two after knocking Bournemouth out of the Cup at Priestfield on Tuesday night and will now go into Saturday’s game with Bradford City at home full of confidence.

Hessenthaler’s side will travel to Brisbane Road on December 3 to face yet another npower League One opponent after disposing of the Cherries 3-2 thanks to goals from Curtis Weston, Garry Richards and Stefan Payne.

After experiencing progression to the FA Cup quarter-finals as Gills player-coach in 2000, Hessenthaler insists there is no better way of raising confidence than going on a cup run.

“It keeps the momentum going,” Hessenthaler said. “You have to enjoy the cup run and not let it pass you by. The FA Cup is the best cup competition in the world and it’s what dreams are made of.

“The year we got to the quarter-final we got promoted as well, so it’s no excuse to affect your league form. We need to get good league results in the meantime and go to Orient full of confidence. If you get through that game, then who knows? Anything can happen from there.

“We go to Orient with no fear because it’s a similar tie to Bournemouth.”

Having been knocked out of the FA Cup at the First Round stage to Dover Athletic last season, Hessenthaler will be keen to make the most of this run, especially given the boost to the finances a run can have.

Making it through to the Third Round stage where Premier League and Championship clubs come into the draw could be a huge for a club like Gillingham and just three seasons ago they gave Aston Villa a run for their money at a packed Priestfield.