Tony Pulis is relishing a return to old club Gillingham after Stoke were drawn against the League Two side in the FA Cup Third round.

Pulis spent four successful years in charge of the Gills between 1995-99, leading them to one promotion and almost to another, before a very public fall-out with chairman Paul Scally led to him leaving the club.

Scally has continued his row with the Stoke boss since then but Pulis revealed he still has plenty of friends from his time with Gillingham and is looking forward to the third-round clash, which will take place over the weekend of January 7 and 8.

“I had a spat with Scally which was well documented,” Pulis told the Sentinel “but I’ve still got a lot of friends in the Kent area.

“They will be absolutely delighted with the draw, particularly former owner Tony Smith and his wife Val, who we became very friendly with.

“I had four great years down there and put a team together I was very proud of and there is also an absolutely terrific set of supporters.”

Pulis will return to Priestfield with former Gillingham defender Adrian Pennock and midfielder Mark O’Connor who are both on the coaching staff at the Britannia Stadium.

Demand for tickets for the game are expected to be high and a possible sell-out of Priestfield could see a scramble by fans to secure their place when they become available.