Gillingham return to where the Priestfield journey began for Gareth Ainsworth as they head to play Harrogate Town this weekend with the manager wanting back to back wins and possibly some new players soon.

At this week’s briefing the Gills boss told us, “Now (with the squad almost all fit), there is no excuses, we have them all back and we have to start winning games!” 

Harrogate of course were the side that ended the Gills long unbeaten run in the reverse fixture at Priestfield on the last weekend in September, but the Yorkshire side haven’t won a League Two game since and go into the weekend one place and one point off the bottom of the Football League. 

The Gills boss though knows that his side face another tough test after another long trip but admitted that after the winning the five-goal thriller at Priestfield last weekend, the squad head North in great spirits. 

“Wins definitely builds confidence especially when we were without one for a while,” Ainsworth told us at this week’s briefing, adding, “The performances had certainly been there, but the win last weekend makes it all worthwhile,” Ainsworth said reflecting on Saturday’s dramatic come from behind win against rock bottom Newport County.

“Great way to get it as well in front of the home fans here at Priestfield coming back twice – the character from the boys was fantastic but also some real quality performances from some big players and that has been really, really good for us this week and hopefully we can take it forward and take it up the road with us to Harrogate as the away game there was my first game in charge last year.”

“We started our run up there – have good memories, but we want to go up there and win the game.” 

“They are a team that beat us here earlier in the season which we are only well aware of but I believe we have enough in this building that we can go and beat any team and I want to go and take it to Harrogate on Saturday.” 

“They will scrap and rightly so! Simon Weaver (the Harrogate boss, who incidentally is serving a one match touchline ban) has been in the League sometime now and he is a long serving manager for a reason and rightly so and gets his teams together – he has a few players on loan and we will have to see what’s coming.”

“They have changed shape a couple of times – we are really looking forward to it, and I want to go there and win the game, end of!”

“I have told the boys that we have to start winning games now – the draws and the performances are all very well, but we have to start winning some games; let’s start putting some teams to the sword and Saturday is one that we want to win, quickly followed by Tuesday and Saturday (away to Cheltenham Town and home to leaders Bromley) – we have a lot of games coming up, I am sure the squad will get rotated but at the moment, I am really pleased where we are.”

“We had a great training session Thursday, and we are looking forward to going up the road.” 

“It’s massive that we have now got a very near fully fit squad to choose from. Everyone looks at Christmas as the halfway point and really, it’s not!”

“You play the four games over the festive period, and you get to twenty-seven, twenty-eight games so it’s well past halfway, and from here on in, the season goes really quickly!” the Gills boss warned.

“There’s only fifteen or so weeks left of the regular season although we do hope it’s a week or two longer, but we definitely need bodies fit now and all the players fit and I think we are coming into a real quality period now where I am going to have good selections from a lot of players and that is really important!” 

“We knew that we had lost a few earlier in the season, but that happens to everyone but now there is no excuses, we have them all back and we have to start winning games!” 

With the January transfer window open for another couple of weeks (it closes February 2nd), the Gills boss would not be drawn on speculation linking the Club with Ronan Hale, Cameron Antwi or Kyle McAllister to name but three of those being mentioned on social media.

All Ainsworth would say was, “It’s great to get the two boys back for the second half of the season – Lenny Cirino and Travis Akomeah – I am sure that there will be one or two more but for the moment, I am really happy and I can’t wait to pick the eighteen to go to Yorkshire and bring the points back!”