Phil Parkinson has shared his affection for the FA Cup ahead of Sunderland’s meeting with Gillingham this weekend.
The Black Cats take on Steve Evans’ side for the first time in the famous cup competition vying to progress to round two.
After a frustrating loss in the Leasing.com Trophy on Tuesday, Parkinson is determined to get back to winning ways with no league game ‘til November 23.
Speaking to the media at Friday’s press conference, Parkinson outlined what he expects from Evans’ Gillingham before sharing his feelings towards the FA Cup.
“Steve’s sides are always very well organised and committed,” he said.
“We have got to be ready for that because they have got some good players.
“We have got to be strong enough to compete with what they throw at us and good enough to play like we did in periods of the Southend game and the majority of the Tranmere game.
“That’s what we’ve been speaking to the lads about and working on the training pitch this morning.
“The FA Cup, for me, is still a great competition,” he continued.
“It still has a great feel about it whether it’s the first round or the third round, where Sunderland are historically used to entering the competition.
“The club has got a lot of history in the competition and we want to represent the club properly tomorrow.”
