Catching up with...Justin Edinburgh

Justin Edinburgh is in a unique position ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup tie at Newport County.

Now 48, the legendary former defender won the FA Cup (1991) and League Cup (1999) in his 10 years at Spurs between 1990-2000, playing 276 times for us in all competitions.

Justin stepped into management in 2003 and managed Newport between 2011-2015. Arriving in south Wales with County in the drop zone in the Conference, he staved off relegation and won promotion back into the Football League after a 25-year absence the following season. He left for Gillingham with Newport sixth in League Two.

During his time at Spurs, Justin faced potential giant-killing ties in the FA Cup against the likes of Blackpool, Oxford, Notts County, Marlow, Peterborough United, Altrincham, Hereford, coming through unscathed. Peterborough (1994) and Hereford (1995) both needed replays. Blackpool was a famous game with a gale blowing down the pitch and the first match of the Gazza-inspired run to win the trophy in 1991.

And then, only last season, Justin experienced the other side of that coin as he took Gillingham to the Lane in the League Cup, an emotional final return for Justin – Spurs ran out 5-0 winners.

So he’s played for Spurs, managed Newport, been the favourite against the underdog and managed an underdog against Spurs – here’s what Justin had to say ahead of Saturday’s fourth round tie.

1991 – Blackpool away, FA Cup third round

Blackpool were in the old Third Division at the time and with a gale blowing down the pitch, we scrapped our way to a 1-0 win thanks to Paul Stewart’s winner.

Justin: “These are the games that sometimes you look back on as the catalyst of a cup run, the game that got us to the final, where we had to dig deep, where a different side of us had to come out and shine. I clearly remember Blackpool away in 1991. I remember rooming with Paul Allen, our hotel was on the seafront and I thought our windows were coming through at one stage, it was so windy. We had no sleep. Erik Thorstvedt was struggling to get his goal-kicks out of our box. It was incredible. We were ringing the box – we used to do that at Under-9s when we played on a full-size pitch and the goalkeeper couldn’t kick it out of the box! We didn’t play well, we had to dig deep, Blackpool played well and I would say we were fortunate to win it. Paul Stewart got the winner. These are the challenges that bring out positive characteristics of a team and it could be the start of a cup run where they are saying ‘to get here, we had to get through that one’ and hopefully that will be the case. I’m a massive admirer of the Spurs squad and Mauricio Pochettino, he’s top-drawer.”

Managing Newport, 2011-2015

Newport were 23rd in the Conference when Justin arrived in October, 2011. He staved off relegation, gained promoted in 2012-13 and left for Gillingham with The Exiles sixth in League Two

Justin: “Newport had come out of the Football League and had some tough times. They’d been away from Newport to play and when I went in there, they were at the bottom of the Conference and looked like they were going back to the Conference South. We managed to see that off and within a year, we were back in the Football League and I realise what an achievement that was for the city and the football club. Saturday will be an incredible occasion. There have been more tough times, a few managerial appointments and what Mike Flynn and Wayne Hatswell achieved last season was remarkable (guiding Newport to safety after being 11 points adrift with 12 games left). Now they have an occasion like this in the FA Cup on Saturday.”

Taking Gillingham to the Lane in September, 2016

We faced Justin’s Gillingham side in the third round of the League Cup last season. The Gills held us for 40 minutes when Christian Eriksen blasted in the opener and we ran out 5-0 winners on Justin’s last visit to the Lane.

Justin: “It showed the level of Mauricio and how he approaches every match. The players understand what’s expected of them and there are no surprises. I don’t think you’ll find the players going down to Newport with the wrong mentality because that won’t be allowed to happen. That comes from having his players around him day in, day out at the training ground and they are fully aware of what he expects and demands. I remember seeing the added time going up that night and that was probably the only occasion I’ve asked for less time added on!”