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Gillingham boss Steve Lovell looking forward to returning to special Peterborough

London Road will always be a special place for Gillingham boss Steve Lovell.

His first game in charge of the Gills came at Peterborough, in October 2017, and he left with maximum points.

Peter Taylor had quit the Gills on the Thursday leading up to that match, leaving Lovell to take charge of the team just two days later.

Former Peterborough player Gabriel Zakuani and Gills boss Steve Lovell celebrate a win at the ABAX Stadium in October, 2017 Picture: Andy Jones
Former Peterborough player Gabriel Zakuani and Gills boss Steve Lovell celebrate a win at the ABAX Stadium in October, 2017 Picture: Andy Jones

It was the opportunity he had waited more than 20 years for.

“I will never forget winning there 1-0,” he said.

“I remember after the final whistle, going back to the dressing room and that is one of the happiest feelings you have in football.

“You wait so long to become a manager of a club that you love and in the first game, having been on a poor run, we went and beat Peterborough away.

“Walking back to the dressing room, down the tunnel, I couldn’t wait to get in there and to thank the boys. That was special, a special moment for me.”

The Gills managed to avoid relegation that season and are looking a good bet to stay up again, perhaps with more to spare this time around.

Lovell would love to beat last season’s points total of 56 – they are currently eight behind that figure with six games left – but Peterborough will be a stern test.

Posh, who went top when they beat the Gills at Priestfield earlier in the season, are now desperate for points to keep them in the hunt for a play-off place and Lovell is expecting another exciting match.

He said: “We lost but it could have gone either way on the day.

“It was a good game and it will be the same Saturday. They are a good footballing side and they will try and play. It suits us when teams play.

“When they come and play on the counter it sometimes causes us problems because we like to over-indulge going forward as well, but when you play a team that is pretty open, like Luton were, they play the same way as we and it balances out a bit.

“I am really looking forward to Saturday’s game. It will be a nice pitch and one where you can get the ball down and pass it and they are obviously still in with a chance of the play-offs. It is important they get three points out of it as well.”

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