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 and 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 at Rodney Parade.

Below: Justin (back row, third from left) with our FA Cup-winning team of 1991

1991 – Blackpool away, FA Cup third round

Blackpool were in the old Fourth Division (now League Two) 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.”

Below: Play-off joy for Justin as manager of Newport in 2013

2011-2015 - managing Newport

Newport were 23rd in the Conference when Justin arrived in October, 2011. He staved off relegation, gained promotion 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. For 25 years, the club had been in the wilderness and a lot of people put a huge amount of time voluntarily into that club, for the love of the club. A lot of those people are still there and Saturday will be an incredible occasion for them. There hav 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.”

Below: Justin, manager of Gillingham, with Mauricio Pochettino before last season's League Cup tie at the Lane

2016 - taking Gillingham to the Lane

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 how Mauricio approaches every match and the level he demands. 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 it was probably the only occasion I’ve asked for less time added on!”

Below: Newport celebrate the winner against Leeds in the third round of the FA Cup

2018 - Newport v Spurs, FA Cup fourth round

Finally, here’s what Justin had to say about Saturday’s tie at Rodney Parade.

Justin: “The away dressing room is basic, minimal and the fans make it uncomfortable for visiting teams. I don’t think the players and even the manager will have experienced anything like it in terms of, for instance, how close the dug-outs are to the crowd. You basically back into the crowd. The pitch has improved incredibly since I left in 2015. I was terrible. It’s a rugby pitch but they have transformed it. Having said that, it’s not going to be anywhere near what the Spurs lads are used to playing on. It’s going to be an eye opener for everyone at Spurs and I’ll say this, if anyone thinks the romance has gone from the FA Cup they can think again! The city itself will come to a standstill. Everyone connected to the club will embrace the occasion. It will be tough but we know if Spurs go there with the right mentality then nine times out of 10 they will win. I’m split, of course, but I think it’s a great opportunity for Spurs to progress and I’d love to see this team and fantastic manager go on to win a trophy.”