How Far Can Gillingham Go This Season?

After an impressive 3-1 win over the Saints this Tuesday, the Gills have secured a quite solid opening at the start of the new season. The odds were not in their favor, but the League Two outfit managed to kick a former Premier League member out of the League Cup.

What does that mean for the club in the long term though?

After finishing 17th out of 24 clubs last season, Gillingham will try their best to secure one of the playoff spots in the top six. Of course, the idea is to aim for either first or second place, but that will probably be quite hard since League Two now has several different title contenders and clubs that want to get back to League One as soon as possible.

Neil Harris’ squad has gone through some changes compared to the previous campaign. These changes have probably improved Gillingham’s chances of promotion. The Gills are currently sitting in the fourth place of favorites to win the league. Being the fourth favorite is not a small feat, and can ease off the pressure that clubs like Wrexham, Stockport County, and Notts County will most likely experience.

Some of the other favorites placed slightly below are a force to be reckoned with as well – Salford City, Mansfield Town, and Milton Keynes Dons being clubs that will most likely compete for the top six.

What does League Two look like?

Let’s face it, League Two isn’t graced with the same quality of football witnessed in higher divisions, but what it lacks in finesse – it makes up for in tenacity. Clubs here battle it out on weather-worn pitches, in front of loyal diehard fans who constantly visit the rain-soaked stadiums just to show support for their favorite team. Many would even say that this is football in its purest form, devoid of astronomical transfer fees and celebrity status.

With the rise of the financial power of upper league clubs, many have decided to focus solely on real football and lower leagues that offer proper English Football experience.

Gillingham is a good example of a proper English club that has been part of the EFL for quite some time now. You can’t go wrong in deciding which club you’d like to support in the lower leagues, but Gillingham is surely a good example of a club with a loyal fanbase, solid staff, and a squad that has the quality of competing in a division above.

The Summary

The fact that the Gills have beaten Southampton right at the start of the season is a huge boost for the team’s morale. The Saints have been an integral part of the Premier League for the past ten years. Knocking out a, basically Premier League side, while still being in the bottom half of the fourth division will hopefully give everyone at Priestfield Stadium a slight dose of excitement ahead of the new campaign. We predict that the Gills will most likely finish in the top six this season.