As Gillingham end the season with a trip to Port Vale, they will look to extend their end of season unbeaten run with manager Gareth Ainsworth looking to play the role of villain in front of fans who he once played for as the promoted home side look for the League Two title. 

Ainsworth played for Vale for two seasons in the last nineties and takes The Gills to Burslem for their season finale with the men from Priestfield ending the season unbeaten in eleven games and the Gills haven’t been beaten on a Saturday away from home since early February! 

Talking to KSN at the season’s final midweek briefing, Ainsworth told us, “The last game of the season and it’s crunch time for a lot of teams and we are involved in one of those games. Port Vale, a fantastic football club, who were a big piece of my career and have a big place in my heart, but I will be there to burst their bubble, and they know it! They love me because I was so passionate when I played there!” 

Vale must beat the Gills and hope that Doncaster Rovers fail to win away to Notts County, who themselves can still seal an automatic promotion place on the last day, to see Darren Moore’s team crowned League Two Champions. 

“I was glad that they got promoted,” the Gills boss went on, “They deserve to go up this year – Darren is a good friend of mine – I am really pleased for them, Port Vale were one of my Clubs… so we’ll go up there, we want to win the game; we know whats on it, it will be a full-house, a great atmosphere and I want my boys to enjoy it, but one hundred percent absolutely go for the win because we would love to end the season unbeaten and on a high!” 

“It’s nice to be involved in a game like this; it’s not a “dead” rubber, it will be a genuine game with something on it and I will find out a lot about my boys as it will be a bit of a cauldron to go into, but I want them to enjoy it, I want them to soak it up and think, one day, you never know!” 

A win would surely send the Gills into the summer in a good place. “My feel-good factor is always there,” joked Ainsworth smiling.

“We’ve been talking to the boys; there are contract discussions going on with a lot of them, there’s recruitment discussions going on and the actual infrastructure of the Club itself.”

“There is an awful lot of things to change and a lot to get stuck into in the summer – there’s no way that it will be a case of last game, last one out turns the lights off and see you on July 1st!”

“No way – there will be a few things going on through the summer, but I will be focused entirely on getting a new squad and a strong structure for an identity of Gillingham going into League Two next season.” 

“We’re talking staff, we’re talking environment, changing the identity of what the Club looks like as a Football Club because I don’t want to be this once was a Championship Club, want to go, “Right can we set up now to be there again at some stage.”

“We are doing slowly, slowly, but I believe that there are certain fundamentals that need to be put in place for success, and I will be working hard with the owners to try and get them in.”

“Can’t wait to get stuck into it properly but I also know that winning games is the most important thing, and I have to make sure that we have a squad capable of doing that next year.” 

“I’m really proud of what we have done already. It hasn’t been a surprise, I think we can do better and I even believe that we should have had a couple more points than we have – still don’t know how we didn’t beat Colchester at home after playing some fantastic stuff that night and missed a couple of sitters – but we’ll take a few lucky ones next year when we need them!” 

“It’s been all about learning about the squad since we came in and full credit must go to the Gallinsons who did the really smart thing to get us in early to have a look at everything before next season – there will be changes that I will make, and they will be positive ones.” 

“So much will go into our recruitment for next season, and that’s why some players will become available, and people will be saying why are we not signing him, or why aren’t we signing him?”

“There will be reasons for it as when the questions are asked why we are letting him go – hopefully people will trust in a process that has worked for me and Dobbo (assistant Richard Dobson) down the years.”

“There will be plenty going on and there is a lot of psychy, and technical and tactical and social and phycological as all sorts going into recruitment for us and we live and die by that!” 

Finishing with his squad news, Ainsworth is already without the suspended pair of Joe Gbode and Jonny Williams after their red cards last weekend at the end of the draw with Swindon.

Oli Hawkins (hand) and Elliott Nevitt (who left Priestfield in a “boot” after the game last weekend) are both doubts whilst Josh Andrews could be included after returning to training…