“The Two-Year plan” is a phrase that has been used a lot at MEMS Priestfield since March and the arrival of Gareth Ainsworth and Richard Dobson with managing director Joe Comper backing the plan.

So, in the conclusion of our review of 2025 with managing director Joe Comper, it seemed like a good place to pick up our conversation… 

“Yes, it’s genuine,” he admitted when we asked about it. “There is a written document, and no I am not going to show it to you, maybe at the end of the two years when we’ve made it!”

“Seriously the document basically revolved around contractual situations in terms of length, in terms of money that becomes available in each transfer window, and it is that that dictates the length of the plan.”

“Part of the plan focuses on how we recruit and what we base our recruitment on and the priorities of the players.”

“We then looked at what the team “should” be – what has Gillingham looked like when it was successful in the past!”

“Then we had to find the manager to represent this, and we appointed Gareth Ainsworth and Richard Dobson!”

“The plan is genuine; there is a written document which was thought through from pretty much the day that Mark Bonner left till March eleventh.”

“It was pretty much two months of soul-searching, learning, and putting in place!”   

“If you look at where things were when Mark (Bonner) left last January to where it was when Gareth (Ainsworth) picked it up, it was in a better place and I think John (Coleman) definitely steadied the ship, simplified things for us and left us in a better place that he found us, so huge credit must go to him – he knew it was a short term thing when he came in and we are all so grateful for the hard work he put in during that time, and I think that Gareth and Dobbo (Richard Dobson) would both say that they inherited a better Club than they thought at the time and that was down to John!” 

“We know that we are a team capable of putting a run together as we have already done. This is the same group of players who went twenty-one games unbeaten – they are capable and they can turn things around.”

“We all know that it only takes a little run of three, four or five games and all of a sudden, we’re right back in the picture and everyone feels good again.” 

“So, I don’t think that we need to panic – if we don’t find one of those runs and the season doesn’t finish as we all hope it will, there is no need to panic! “

“We just have to stay on the path that we are on with the people we have making the decisions, and I am confident in the long run, this Club will be back where it should be!” 

Brad and Shannon Galinson have just “celebrated” three years at the Priestfield helm, and Comper told us, “It’s crazy, it really is!” 

“I have seen a few comments recently that have been of a negative tone with their name in it, and that is one of the only things that has actually bothered me in terms of social media!”

“If there are two people who should not be in the firing line for things that aren’t going great on the pitch, it’s absolutely not them; they have put a lot of money, a lot of time and they have galvanised this whole Football Club.”

“And along with the supporters who have had probably now a decade (or more) of being starved of success, the Galinson’s deserve the success more than anyone and the big motivation for me in 2026 is that they get the success that they deserve and they have given their heart and their soul – as well as their money – to Gillingham Football Club!” 

“If you ask me to get my crystal ball out now for 2026, there are a lot of players out of contract in the summer, and there will be a lot of discussions on who stays, who goes, who wants to stay, who wants to go, and I can see changes in personnel!”

“I think the Club’s identity will continue to grow – people have started to see a team that works hard and grafts and hopefully, we will build on that and add to that.”

“I am not going to sit here and tell you we will be in “X” position as that would come back to bite me on the back-side, but the supporters will continue to see a team, a management and a Club that are pulling in the same direction and that they can be proud of!” 

“I think that this season, on the whole, the supporters have seen a team who represents them, works hard and they appreciate it.”

“Granted at this moment in time, the last few weeks don’t feel that great, but on the whole I think people would agree it’s a Gillingham team that is representing the supporters and I think that we will build on that and that will continue to grow!”