| < 2010's | The 2020's |
|---|
2020-21 Div 1
Position 10th (out of 24)
After the previous season finished abruptly due to the Covid Pandemic there were hopes that things would get back to normal by the start of 2020-21. However it wasn't to be as a second wave of the virus in the autumn proved to be worse than the first. The season did start in September but sadly apart from one game at Cambridge in November no fans were allowed to attend any of the matches. Despite all this and the loss in the close season of captain Max Ehmer and Brandon Hanlon to Bristol Rovers it proved to be a decent campaign. Kyle Dempsey, Jordan Graham, Vadaine Oliver and Ryan Jackson were all signed permanently while youngsters Zech Medley and Trae Coyle came in on loan from Arsenal. It wasn't the best of starts though as injuries to Stuart O'Keefe and Kyle Dempsey upset the balance of the midfield and in October they suffered 5 defeats in a row without scoring a goal. Things improved after that though and from mid-January onwards they achieved some impressive results - especially away from home. Sitting in 6th place at the end of March a place in the play offs beckoned but 9 points from the last 7 games wasn't quite enough and in the end they had to settle for 10th place. With 20 goals in all competitions Vadaine Oliver finished the season as leading scorer.
Vadaine Oliver
2021-22 Div 1
Position 21st (out of 24)
After no fans were allowed for the entire 2020-21 season it was a great relief when the gates were finally opened for the first home game of the season against Lincoln. However any enthusiasm very quickly disappeared as it soon became obvious that the season was going to be something of a struggle. Bad player recruitment in the summer and a long injury list didn't help and Manager Steve Evans left the club after a 4-0 home defeat to Ipswich in early January. Steve Lovell stood in as caretaker for 4 games but results didn't improve and a 7-2 home defeat to Oxford at the end of January meant the Gills were now 10 points from safety.
By now most if not all Gills fans had accepted that relegation was a certainty. However Neil Harris was unveiled as the new man in charge on the following Monday and slowly results began to improve. Scoring goals was still a problem though and important home points were dropped against relegation rivals Wimbledon and Fleetwood as both games finished 0-0. Despite this a point in the last game of the season would still have been enough to avoid the drop but unfortunately the opponents were 2nd placed Rotherham who needed a win to ensure promotion which they duly managed by 2 goals to nil - a result which meant Gills were relegated on goal difference along with Wimbledon, Doncaster and Crewe.
All sorts of unwanted records were set during the season -
The worst ever home League defeat (2-7 to Oxford)
The lowest number of goals scored in a season (35)
The lowest number of goals scored at home in a season (13)
The fewest number of home wins in a season (4)
The fewest number of points at home (4 wins 8 draws)
The longest run of games without a win (17) since joining the Football League
.jpg)
Neil Harris
2022-23 Div 2
Position 17th (out of 24)
After relegation any hopes that season 2022-23 would be an improvement on the previous one were soon dashed. Despite winning the opening home game against Rochdale it soon became fairly obvious that scoring goals was going to be an issue and after 23 games the club was rock bottom of the football league with just 2 wins, 7 goals and 7 points from safety. The attendance for the Dagenham home FA Cup replay attracted an attendance of just 1533 which was the lowest for an FA Cup game since joining the football league in 1920. In fact the calendar year 2022 was the worst in the clubs history - 7 wins and just 23 goals from 46 league games. However there were 2 highlights. In November Premier side Brentford were beaten on their own ground on penalties in the League Cup 3rd Round and the following month on the 23rd December the club announced that the new owners were American couple Brad and Shannon Galinson. Money was quickly made available and in the January transfer window several new players were signed - Tom Nicholls from Crawley, Olly Hawkins and George Lapslie from Mansfield, Timothee Dieng from Exeter and Connor Masterson on loan from QPR. Results improved immediately and league safety was assured with 3 games to go after beating the league champions Leyton Orient 2-0 at Priestfield. The mood around the club changed completely - Average attendance before takeover was 4,500 while for the second half of the season it was 6,500. (14 points from the first 23 games 41 points from the last 23). Despite this the number of goals scored (36) was the 2nd lowest in the club’s history. Tom Nicholls was the leading scorer with just 5 goals while 39 year old goalkeeper Glenn Morris was voted the Player of Year.
The Gallinsons
2023-24 Div 2
Position 12th (out of 24)
There was an air of optimism around Priestfield at the start of the season and after winning the 1st 4 games by the same score (1-0) hopes were high. Southampton were also well beaten in the League Cup but it soon became obvious that scoring goals would be a problem once again. After a 2-0 defeat at Crewe on the 3rd October and with the club in 8th position manager Neil Harris was dismissed. Keith Millen took over as caretaker for 6 games before Stephen Clemence was unveiled as the new manager at the beginning of November. His first game saw a 2-0 win at Hereford in the FA Cup and in the 2nd round League 1 side Charlton were easily beaten 2-0. Premier side Sheffield Utd were the opponents in round 3 but they were far too good and ran out 4-0 winners. League form however was very inconsistent. While unbeaten at home from Christmas onwards they only won 3 games out of 11. Away from home saw some excellent wins but they were nearly always followed by bad defeats none more so than at Harrogate on Easter Monday when they lost 5-1 after leading 1-0 at half time. Despite this they were still in with a realistic chance of the play offs at Easter but 1 win in the last 6 games meant they finished the season in 12th place. Only relegated Forest Green Rovers scored less goals than the Gills - Connor Mahoney was the leading goalscorer with just 7 goals while player of the year defender Conor Masterton was 2nd with 6. The average attendance of 6,393 was the highest for 11 years.
2 days after the last game of the season against Doncaster the club annouced that both Stephen Clemence and Robbie Stockdale would be leaving the club.
Stephen Clemence
2024-25 Div 2
Position 17th (out of 24)
Mark Bonner was announced as the new manager during the close season and he had a dream start with a 4-1 home win over Carlisle. By the end of September the Gills were top of the table but just like the previous season the month of October saw the start of a dramatic decline with the club going 13 games without a win and after a 3-0 home defeat to Bromley at the start of January he was sacked having been in charge for just 23 league games. Ex Accrington manager John Coleman was appointed as the manager until the end of the season and was given the task of re-igniting the promotion challenge. Unfortunately it wasn't to be and with the club in 19th position after 2 wins from 14 games he too was relieved of his duties. On the same day manager number 3 for the season was unveiled as Gareth Ainsworth after compensation was agreed to be paid to his current club Shrewsbury Town. There was a definite improvement as the club went 12 games without defeat until the end of the season finally ending up in 17th place. Yet again for the 4th season in a row goals were hard to come by and only bottom club Morecambe scored less than the Gills although the defence on the other hand was one of the best in the league. Max Ehmer played his last game against Accrington Stanley taking him to 4th in the all time list of Football League appearances for the club.
Gareth Ainsworth