Working alongside John Gregory is likely to benefit any coach, and Eastleigh manager Richard Hill believes his time spent overseas with the new Crawley Town boss has prepared him for life in the lower leagues and the FA Trophy.
The Eastleigh manager previously enjoyed a spell with Kazakhstani side FC Kairat, where he worked alongside former Aston Villa, Derby County and QPR manager Gregory.
Hill, who is in his second season in charge of Eastleigh, will now welcome Conference Premier outfit Gateshead to the Silverlake Stadium this Saturday in the Second Round Proper of the Trophy.
Under Hill, Eastleigh have been flying in the Conference South - they currently sit in second place behind Bromley - and this weekend they will switch their the focus to the Trophy. With a potential date at Wembley on the cards, the former Northampton Town player believes his experience could be pivotal.
Eastleigh v Gateshead
The FA Carlsberg Trophy Second Round Proper,
3pm, Saturday 14 December 2013
He said: "Kazakhstan was great. It was something totally different, a new culture, and both myself and John went there and embraced it. If we hadn't done that, it would have been tough but the club looked after us very well.
"Working with John over the years has taught me a lot, and through that I was able to work with Brian Little which was an absolutely amazing experience. They both took me under their wing, but they also let me flourish."
With this experience in mind, Hill has built a strong squad at the Hampshire club - one which boasts Stuart Fleetwood, former Gateshead striker Yemi Odubade and Ben Strevens among its ranks.
The trio all have Football League experience and with the team playing in the FA Trophy Second Round Proper for only the third time in their history, Hill believes it's important they have experience in the squad.
He added: "I've got some very good players at my club and some very big characters.
"But they're all good lads, they're a pleasure to work with and they all want to win.
"My fans should look and think that they can come and watch players like Fleetwood and Yemi, who have both played at the top level and scored goals in the Football League. Add Ben Strevens, who won the League Two title with Gillingham, it's exciting."
