Who is Matt Gill? Southampton assistant once Russell Martin's coach

Saints boss Russell Martin drafted in his assistant of four years, Matt Gill, to preview his side's FA Cup fourth round trip to Watford.

International broadcasting selection meant the fixture is set to be played on Sunday, pushing the week's training one day forward.

While Thursday would usually be a day off and Friday on, it is instead Friday off for Saints and Saturday in for the final match preparations.

Martin would have happily met the press on the Saturday after training but - thankfully for us - that was not going to happen.

And so his assistant, affectionately known as Gilly by those in the club, took his place in the conference room at Staplewood on Thursday. 

"He told me, he didn't ask," joked Gill, when quizzed by the Daily Echo before the cameras started rolling on his reaction to Martin's request.

Saints assistant Matt Gill was speaking ahead of the visit to Watford

"I am really enjoying being here and working with Russ - he told me to say that. It has been a brilliant few months. 

"There is a lot of upheaval that can happen when you move clubs, stuff outside the training ground with family.

"That can take its toll but luckily I have a really supportive family. As a coaching staff, you rally around each other. 

"Deano (Thornton) has been the same with his young family, and Ben (Parker) and Rhys (Owen), and we all help each other through it."

Saints are already the sixth team 43 year old Gill - five years Martin's senior - has held a coaching role at. 

The former midfielder became a player-coach at Tranmere Rovers in 2014, going on to become assistant manager later that same year.

He called time on a playing career after 304 appearances in the Football League, with a dozen of those coming alongside Martin at Norwich City.

Matt Gill played for Peterborough, Notts County, Exeter City, Norwich City, Bristol Rovers and Tranmere (Image: PA)

Gill has since worked in the academy at Norwich and the first teams of Ipswich Town, MK Dons - for a few weeks - Swansea and now Saints. 

He explained: "As far as my coaching journey, I was desperate to work in an academy and be a coach when I finished playing.

"I was lucky enough to work with the under-23s at Norwich and I saw myself doing that for longer than I did.

"An opportunity came up to work with Paul Lambert at Ipswich and I could not turn that down and since then it has been pretty fast moving. 

"If you go into coaching not wanting to help players then there is something wrong. Our approach as staff is to be quite demanding. 

"We have lots of young players here and that is my interest, to help them develop - but we have to win as well, which is great.

"In an academy, you want to see players making debuts or sold for money but in the first team it is about getting consistent performances."

Believe it or not, Gill was Martin's manager for a couple of months - when the Canaries captain was playing in the under-23s in 2017. 

Martin made 309 appearances but the last was in August, before featuring seven times in Premier League 2 ahead of a loan to Rangers. 

"Russell and Daniel (Farke) didn't quite see eye to eye," Gill, who was the under-23s boss, admitted. 

Club captain Russell Martin was exiled to the under-21s before completing making a loan exit in January 2018 (Image: PA)

"I always make this joke but when he came to play in my team, we had to have a deeper line because he couldn't run anymore.

"It was him and Steven Naismith at the time, they made my job easier by setting an example to the young lads every day." 

With Martin demoted to using the academy staff changing rooms, the pair took advantage of proximity to talk football and discuss sessions.  

They stayed in contact from their time at Carrow Road and Martin called the phone two months after Gill departed Ipswich in May 2021.

That was to come and join MK Dons - but Martin and his staff were taken to Championship Swansea City right before the season opener. 

Gill then became interim assistant at Swans after the departure of Luke Williams in February 2022, serving Martin in that role since. 

"We had separated for a bit but an opportunity arose to join Russell at MK and we have spent 10 hours a day together ever since," he added. 

Russell Martin and Matt Gill in the Swansea City dugout (Image: PA)

Gill has been touted for a handful of Football League management jobs during his time as Martin's assistant.

He took charge of one match as interim boss for Ipswich following Lambert's departure, overseeing a 2-1 win at Accrington Stanley. 

With former Martin number two Williams taking the job at Swansea at the start of 2024, it shows the pathway is there. 

Gill's name came up in bookies lists for Tranmere in April 2023 and for Notts County - the post vacated by Williams - this month. 

However, Gill insists he is in no rush to put himself "in the firing line" just yet. 

"Definitely not Notts County, I got booed a lot at Notts County," he joked.

"First team management is a very lonely job and we try and support Russell as much as can, but it is a lonely job.

Russell Martin and his Saints staff following the summer announcements (Image: Southampton FC)

"I am not sure I would put my family through that at this time - the main thing for me is that I am adding value to the players and staff.

"It is probably one of my jobs to challenge Russell as much as I can and Colin Calderwood is in the building to do that now too."

"We respect each other and we want to do well for each other - it has been a journey, it is friendship and we want that journey to continue."

Gill puts a lot of the current coaching team's synergy down to knowing they can all be themselves around each other.

"I would hope the players feel they can totally be themselves and enjoy it too - it would hurt me if they didn't," he concluded.