Gillingham Women manager Josh Oatham is fully focused on victory ahead of his side’s FA Cup tie against Arsenal, despite the enormity of the occasion.

Oatham’s side will travel to Hertfordshire on Sunday to take on England’s most successful women’s club in the fourth round of the FA Cup after defeating Cheltenham Town 2-1 in the third round.

Arsenal boast 15 league titles, 14 FA Women’s Cups, five FA WSL Cups, 10 Women’s Premier League Cups and a UEFA Women’s Champions League and will be heavy favourites going into the game, but Oatham has insisted that he and his team are fully focused on causing a potential mega-upset.

“We know the task in hand, but we will prepare as we always do” he said, speaking exclusively to KentSportsNews. “We have just got to channel the excitement amongst the group and make sure we leave nothing out there on Sunday.

“We have to focus on the task in hand, carry out individual and team roles professionally and not allow the occasion to distract us from doing ourselves justice.”

Gillingham’s status as a side was put at risk less than a year ago when Gillingham FC announced in June 2020 that they would no longer operate their ladies’ team. Fortunately, though, Oatham was able to salvage things and set up Gillingham Women as a separate entity, and he is now seeing the rewards for his hard work.

“It is a great achievement considering how this has come within such a short period of time of going independent” he said. “All credit to the players and staff.

“Going independent 10 months ago, people had doubts about what we would be able to achieve, but now I hope our story will encourage teams across the country to not settle for less than they deserve. 

“We are developing extremely well as a football club and it is important that we remember Sunday is just another milestone in this wonderful journey.”

Despite having their league season curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Gillingham have worked their way into the fourth round of England’s most prestigious cup competition, beating Crawley Wasps and Cheltenham Town – on Sunday via extra time – to earn the tie at Arsenal.

Reflecting on the Cheltenham win, Oatham expressed his pride in his team.

“We knew it would always be difficult. Cheltenham are a good side and they have got a bright future ahead of them” he said. 

“As the game went on, we started getting the ball down, getting the ball wide and into the box and the goals from Jade Keogh and Otesha Charles were exactly what we deserved. Our performance showed the confidence, determination and resilience this groups has, and we will be taking this into Sunday’s game.

“I believe having the opportunity to play Arsenal in the next round was in the back of everyone’s minds, but we knew we had to concentrate solely on the task at hand. We have been very professional in our approach and focusing on one game at a time.

“In the game itself, we had to be patient, and with how hard the players worked during the lockdown period, we knew that the longer the game went on, the stronger we would get.

“I am just so proud. Proud of the staff, the players, and everyone involved within the club. It was exactly what we deserved after all the hard work that everyone has put in, and now we cannot wait for Sunday.

“It is a group with a huge amount of talent but also massive heart. They never know when they are beaten, and I am so proud of this group and what we have gone on to achieve. The passion, determination, resilience and confidence of the group demonstrated throughout this cup run has enabled us to form our own identity.”

It isn’t just about Sunday, though. This fixture signifies the spirit and resolve the club have shown since becoming independent, and they are just getting started.

Oatham said: “We have the building blocks in place to tackle next season in the way we want to. 

“Being involved in the FA Cup after all that has gone on with our season being null and voided has given us the platform to show what we are all about as a team and as a football club. 

“Of course it is great to have gone on an FA Cup run, but I have always reiterated that this period was about putting the building blocks in place for next season in terms of the way we want to approach it. Preparation is going well towards meeting that objective.”

Arsenal WFC vs Gillingham Women will take place at Meadow Park, Hertfordshire, on Sunday April 18, with kick-off scheduled for 14:00 BST.

Picture supplied by Gillingham Women Football Club.