Gareth Ainsworth’s Gillingham are official record breakers! Since 1893, no Gillingham side had gone more than twenty League games in a row unbeaten – until today!
On Saturday 20th September 2025, Ainsworth’s sides 3-1 come from behind win at Rodney Parade, Newport was game number twenty-one unbeaten – a run started under John Coleman and continued magnificently under Ainsworth since March!
For the first half of the first period however it seemed that the record would end where it had begun as Nathaniel Opoku headed the home side ahead in the first minute and saw Cameron Antwi’s penalty brilliantly saved by Glenn Morris inside the opening ten minutes which proved to be the spur the Gills needed.
Stand-in skipper Bradley Dack drilled home the equaliser, Jonny Smith gloriously curled home his first Gillingham goal before Dack drilled home a spot kick on the stroke of half time after Sam Gale had been fouled.
The second period was played out goal-less and the record – and top spot in League Two – was theirs!
The Welshmen flew out of the blocks and Opoku’s header from Bobby Kamwa’s cross had them in front inside sixty seconds. And it should really have been two on eight minutes after Andy Smith tripped Antwi, but the Newport man saw his spot kick magnificently saved by Morris full stretch to palm away.
Dack had a chance to level but fired over before home keeper Nik Tzanev did well to keep out Jonny Williams’s effort. From the corner, the Gills were level. Max Clark’s corner was superbly helped on by Elliott Nevitt and Dack drilled the ball home to settle the nerves of the 600 dressed in blue.
If Dack’s goal calmed the travelling nerves nine minutes from time they were in raptures as Smith raced onto Remeao Hutton’s lay back and sent a brilliant curling effort into the top corner.
Morris preserved the lead with a great block with his legs to deny Kanwa – a lead that was doubled on the stroke of half time when Gale was felled in the box and Dack’s spot kick was drilled beyond a diving Tzanev who guessed the right way!
As the second half wore on, the Gills created chances – Nevitt was unlucky with a header, whilst Dack almost completed a personal treble by a super save from Tzanev before being replaced along with the hard-working Josh Andrews, who was replaced by Seb Palmer-Holden for his Gills debut.
The visitors looked for more – Robbie McKenzie drilled a twenty-yard drive inches wide, Williams fizzed a ball across the face of goal and Sam Vokes, on as a late sub, was denied with one of the last plays of the game by a smart save from the Newport keeper.
The final whistle drew jubilation from the travelling fans – a far cry from their last visit to Rodney Parade which incidentally was twenty-two League games ago when Gillingham last lost a League Two game – how times have changed!
NEWPORT COUNTY – Tzanev, Ogunneye, Davies, Baker, Jenkins, Braybrooke, Whitmore (Lloyd), Antwi, Kamwa, Reindorf (Baker-Richardson), Opoku (Spellman) Subs – Wright, Evans, Glennon, Clarke
GILLINGHAM – Morris, Hutton, Gale, Andy Smith, Clark, Jonny Williams (Vokes), McKenzie, Jonny Smith (Rowe), Dack (Coleman), Nevitt, Andrews (Palmer-Houlden) Subs – Turner, Ogie, Cirino
REFEREE – Mr. Doughty
Image courtesy of Gillingham FC