Gillingham manager Mark Bonner on Blackpool boss Steve Bruce, who returns to the dugout for the first time following the death of his grandson in FA Cup first-round tie

Mark Bonner doesn’t have to look far for a connection to Steve Bruce but he’ll come up against him for the first time in his career this weekend.

Gillingham boss Bonner will be in the dugout when Bruce returns to Priestfield as Blackpool manager in the FA Cup first round on Saturday.

The duo have a common colleague in Colin Calderwood. Bonner served as his assistant manager at Cambridge United while Calderwood was part of Bruce’s coaching staff at Aston Villa, a set-up that also included former Gills boss Stephen Clemence.

“We’ve lived in different worlds, he’s had a much better career than mine!” responded Bonner, when asked if he’d come up against Bruce before. “He’s not someone I’ve come across.

“I worked with Colin Calderwood, who worked with Steve at Aston Villa and also with Stephen Clemence so they were all part of the same team so indirectly I’ve had plenty of stories about them.

“What a career he’s (Bruce) had. Since going in at Blackpool, they’ve had a huge surge in their performances and the energy around the place. He got manager of the month early on and they’ve had a struggle of results recently but he’s good, his team is good and his squad is good.

“I’m sure at that level they are one of many teams in League 1 pushing for play-off positions, they’re certainly capable of doing that.

“Much like us, they will probably see this like a nice break from the league and a chance for them to get a result which they haven’t had for a while, and we’re probably in the same position ourselves.”

It’s a hard game to prepare for in terms of knowing how seriously sides will take the competition, whether they see it as an opportunity to progress and earn extra revenue - or a chance to rotate their squad and ensure league