Stephen Dobbie delighted as Blackpool beat Gillingham in FA Cup

Posted Sunday, November 03, 2024 by PA

Blackpool coach Stephen Dobbie was delighted to see his side reach the FA Cup second round with a 2-0 win over Gillingham.

Sonny Carey’s brilliant brace ensured the near 600-mile round trip was worth it for Steve Bruce’s League One outfit.

And first-team coach Dobbie, at the helm as Bruce takes time off following the tragic death of his grandson, said: “The message to the boys was ‘can we get into the next round?’ And we’ve done that.

“It was a great strike in the first half from Sonny and it was another good finish from him for the second.

“It had all the hallmarks of a banana skin. That’s the magic of the FA Cup, you saw it with Tamworth (against Huddersfield) last night.

“When we were watching that we wanted to make sure we weren’t out in the first round.

“It would be nice to get a draw closer to home in the second round!”

Gillingham have reached the third round in the last two seasons, but it was a disappointing first-round exit this time around.

Boss Mark Bonner said: “I thought the scoreline was a touch harsh.

“It feels much worse when it’s two rather than one, even though it doesn’t make much of a difference.

“We had a lot of dangerous moments. But you saw the difference of the quality. The execution and the spark in the last bit was the difference.

“That’s where we’re lacking at the minute. To do it against a team at the level that they are at, I hope the lads can take something from that in a funny sort of a way.

“It’s hard to do that when it’s a defeat and you’re in a poor run and not scoring many goals. But hopefully they can take some confidence. There were parts I really liked.”