As Gillingham are without a game this weekend, KSN has been talking to managing director Joe Comper about all things MEMS Priestfield and looking back over another difficult twelve months for the Club… 

“There were a lot of ups and downs across the year which it seems to be every year at the moment,” Comper told us, “but it’s a year that ultimately as I look at it at the moment, as where the Club is at the end of the December as it was on January the first, I am confident that we are in a better place and moving in the right direction – whilst it was frustrating at times, I do think that we are slowly but surely moving forward!” 

Reflecting back to the start of 2025, he admitted, “It was a horrible time! Definitely in my working life, my career, it was the worst period of time for sure – it wasn’t fun!”

“It seemed like we rumbled from one problem to another and one negative period to another but I would say from that… Mark (Bonner) went this week last year, the first week of January, and I do think that was a turning point for us a as a Club!” 

“It honestly feels longer than twelve months but I do believe it was a turning point for us, because as a Club we said that we have to stop bouncing from one person to another, from one plan to another, and we have got to go “this is us, this is our journey that we are on!” and we did that!”

“I am pleased that we did that and pretty much from March eleventh – that was the day that we put the plan together, presented and finalised!”

“When Mark went, we were always putting something interim in place and that was when we started putting it together and the two-year plan was “born” on March eleventh.” 

“Since March eleventh, I think internally at least we have a plan. So, when things are going well – and a twenty-one-game unbeaten run isn’t bad to start is it? – I think it kept us calm and internally we didn’t get carried away.”

“Outside, I do think some got carried away, but within the Priestfield walls we were very calm as we knew the plan!” 

“Equally whilst we are in the middle of a not so good run at this moment in time, we are also still calm as we are still on our plan that was never going to be a straight line, it was always going to be up and down!” 

“Ultimately, we are within touching distance of the Play Offs with still very nearly half the season to go… We have had some bad luck in games and with injuries and when I look at the squad and look at the depth, we are a team that could easily kick on and take off and so hopefully in the second half of the season we can and will kick on!” 

“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!”