The ME7 Podcast

The first win of the Gareth Ainsworth era is now in the bag, thanks to a late, late show from Bradley Dack as Priestfield exploded with joy at a last-gasp 1-0 win over MK Dons. In a match that was nothing to write home about at all, Dack found himself in the right place at the right time to control and tap in at the back post after Max Clark’s free-kick delivery was headed back across goal by Cono...

It’s been quite the week at Priestfield, with the arrival of Gareth Ainsworth as the new Gills manager, and he’s already made something of an impact. Previously out-of-favour players have returned to the side, a new, more aggressive approach has already been adopted, and, shock horror, the Gills have actually been awarded a couple of penalties! After Elliott Nevitt’s disastrous spot-kick earlier i...

John Coleman was supposed to be the steady pair of hands to see out the remainder of the season, but the Gills brass have landed the man they wanted to take the club forward, and they’ve made the change immediately. It means Coleman and Jimmy Bell have departed Priestfield with immediate effect, with Gareth Ainsworth taking over as first-team manager, while his longtime assistant Richard Dobson to...

There weren’t any goals at Priestfield, but there was plenty of endeavour on the pitch as Gillingham battled to a goalless draw with table toppers Walsall at home. It was one of those games that demonstrated the fine margins in League 2 this season, and suggested that there really aren’t any truly good sides in the league this year – instead, there are merely some teams that are more consistent th...

Gillingham’s winless run away from home continued at Accrington Stanley, but after conceding in the first half, the team kept plugging away, and eventually got their reward with a late, late strike from Max Clark earning former Stanley boss John Coleman and the Gills a share of the spoils at the WHAM Stadium. All of the crucial action came during stoppage time at the end of both halves, as the Gil...

Football fans are always an optimistic bunch, but even the most ardent Gills fans heading into Priestfield on Saturday would have taken their seats concerned about how the afternoon might pan out. But, despite lining up against a second-placed Bradford City side that could have gone top with a win, Gillingham produced a superb battling team performance to claim a hard-earned 1-0 win. After a lengt...

After Gillingham’s 1-0 home win against Morecambe at the weekend, hopes were high for the Gills as they travelled to Wales to take on Newport County. But any optimism for another positive result quickly evaporated as the Gills conceded an early opener, then shipped two more in a disastrous opening 45 minutes. Then, when attempting to chase the game, the starting XI was left on the field for the en...

It took a deflection to make the crucial breakthrough, but Gillingham finally claimed a hard-earned victory at Priestfield as they defeated fellow League 2 strugglers Morecambe 1-0 at home. Not for the first time this season, Robbie McKenzie was the man who stepped up to make the crucial goal contribution as he reacted first to Max Ehmer’s blocked volley and unleashed one of his own that took a bi...

Gillingham produced another battling performance, but once again they came away frustrated not to have won the game after a combination of Crewe’s defensive commitment, some poor finishing, and a highly questionable refereeing decision left the game goalless at full-time. John Coleman’s side once again played with plenty of the commitment and energy that was missing earlier in the season but, once...

What a difference three days makes! After Gillingham’s 3-0 capitulation at Barrow, a lot of people, including the fans, the manager and the owner, had a lot to say about the team, and what is going wrong, with the finger of blame pointed straight at the players. It demanded a response and, at the Bescot Stadium on Tuesday night, we got one. Gillingham showed all the fight, passion and commitment f...

In a special episode of The ME7 Podcast, Gillingham FC club owner Brad Galinson and managing director Joe Comper join James Hawkins and Owen Stanley to answer questions from the fans during a difficult time for the club. With form, confidence and morale – both on the pitch and in the stands – on the floor, it’s clear that the club faces a difficult few months as it looks to get to the summer, wher...

It was a case of another game, another disappointing result at Priestfield as Gillingham fell to another home defeat, this time to promotion-chasing Notts County. The Gills fielded a changed lineup as John Coleman shuffled the pack a little for the match, with a three-pronged forward line of Elliott Nevitt, JJ Morgan and Asher Agbinone starting the game. And while Morgan came inches away from givi...

Gillingham’s long awayday to Blundell Park looked set to end with an unlikely victory. But instead, a dagger of an equaliser in the last minute of stoppage time ensured that the Gills’ winless run continues. Grimsby probably had the better of it in the first half, as the Gills once again struggled to give the opposition much to worry about in the final third. But, remarkably, for the second succes...

Gillingham ended their run of defeats with a come-from-behind 1-1 draw on the road at Tranmere Rovers, but that sentence might lead you to think that the team mounted a stirring comeback. The truth: They didn’t. The Gills were hugely frustrating and disappointing as once again they showed a lack of fight and character as they fell behind to a soft Tranmere goal. Then, when the equaliser came, it a...

It was a case of new boss, same old problems as Gillingham once again showed their failings in a frustrating 1-0 home defeat to Doncaster Rovers in John Coleman’s first game as Gills manager. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so a complete transformation in his first game was unlikely, to say the least, but after a really positive half-hour, there was an air of optimism in the stands, though the team’s...

Gillingham’s 3-0 home defeat to Bromley proved to be the last straw, as Gillingham parted company with manager Mark Bonner after eight months in charge. And with the fans still processing the news of Bonner’s departure, the club swiftly followed up the official statement with another later that evening, as they confirmed the appointment of former Accrington Stanley and Rochdale manager John Colema...

It was a nightmare after Christmas for Gills fans as Gillingham produced yet another terrible display – this time under the lights at Priestfield – as they crashed to a 3-0 defeat to Bromley. Manager Mark Bonner made six changes to the starting XI, then made three half-time changes as he changed the permutations in a bid to avoid the obvious – that this Gillingham squad simply doesn’t have the wit...

After a run of poor form through the festive period (and before), Gillingham fans were hoping that the team could finish 2024 with a bang. Sadly, what we got was a mere whimper. After an encouraging opening five minutes, Gillingham reverted to type once again as they delivered yet another toothless performance of poor football to lose 1-0 at AFC Wimbledon. The fact that the goal should have been c...

The Gills’ final game before Christmas produced an entertaining spectacle under the lights at Priestfield as Mark Bonner’s side gave the home fans plenty of positives to take into the next few days. The only shame was the fact that a win wasn’t one of them. Jayden Clarke poached the opener for the Gills after Elliott Nevitt’s long-range shot was only parried by the Robins’ keeper, but a superb fre...

What a difference a couple of wins make! After doom and gloom descended on Gillingham FC and its fanbase during a depressing couple of months, Mark Bonner’s side looks to have turned a corner. Back-to-back victories, including a superb 1-0 away win at in-form MK Dons last week, see the Gills sitting just two points outside the playoff places, and five shy of the automatic promotion spots. The game...

Just like London buses, we sit around waiting for the Gills to claim a victory, and then two come along in quick succession! Mark Bonner’s side rolled up their sleeves and battled once again as they faced in-form MK Dons at Stadium:MK on Saturday afternoon. And, in front of more than 1,000 vociferous travelling Gills fans, they claimed a priceless 1-0 awayday victory to give us back-to-back league...

It wasn’t pretty, but boy was it needed. On a wet, windy afternoon at Priestfield, Gillingham’s players were expected to roll up their sleeves and battle against a niggly Salford side. And, in a gritty performance that played out in front of a lower-than-usual crowd – partly due to the weather, partly due to their recent performances – the Gills delivered the sort of fight and commitment that the...

Any optimism that remained after a bruising run of results has all but evaporated now. Gillingham were abysmal, yet again, as they fell to a 2-1 away defeat to a very average Bromley side who themselves have been struggling in the league. After a result like that, the patience with the players and the management is rapidly running out, with intensity, fight, desire and pure honest graft all glarin...

With the Gills getting a rare weekend off this weekend, The ME7 Podcast’s James Hawkins sits down behind the microphone to answer your questions in a gap-week Q&A pod. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theme7podcast.substack.com

Just when there was a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, another home capitulation has left the Gills on the wrong end of yet another disappointing defeat, and the fans are rapidly running out of patience. Gillingham were booed off the pitch after surrendering a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 to Harrogate Town at Priestfield in a performance that even manager Mark Bonner said deserved to be booed. T...