Can This Team Keep Defying the Odds or Is a Collapse Coming

Can This Team Keep Defying the Odds or Is a Collapse Coming

It is always strange how the world of football has a way of repeating itself.

Manchester United have a history of creating late drama and winning matches in the dying seconds of a game. The 1999 Champions League final saw two goals in additional time saw them lift the treble, and just mere months ago, they defeated Lyon 5-4 after being two goals down with 10 minutes left to play.

Brazil have a history of getting embarrassed at home in World Cups. Despite being historically the best footballing nation, they lost out in the 1950 and 2014 World Cups, both played on home soil.

Real Madrid has a history of being dominant in Europe. They are the only side to have won the European Cup/Champions League five times in a row, and just seven years ago completed a historic three-peat.

But sometimes, it is much simpler.

In Gillingham’s last three seasons, they have always done impeccably well in their first eight games.

In the 2023/24 season, they sat first after eight matches.

In the 2024/25 season, once again, they sat first after eight matches.

And now, in the current 25/26 season, they sat second after eight matches and took top place just a week later.

But in those first two seasons, their good form came to an abrupt halt and started to deteriorate.

After gameweek eight in 2023/24, they would win just one match in six, plummeting them to 10th.

In 2024/25, they lost five consecutive games, leaving them scrambling in 11th place.

And now, Gillingham has lost two back to back games, knocking them off their perch, and leaving fans worried at the potential of history once again repeating itself.

The post-match thoughts of Gareth Ainsworth.#Gills

— Gillingham FC (@TheGillsFC) September 27, 2025

The 2024/25 Season

As already mentioned, the Gills had an impeccable start to last season's League Two. They did lose 1-0 to Doncaster Rovers, but they still earned 19 points from eight matches.

A month later, they had imploded. Six games, one draw, five losses.

Wins against Port Vale, Salford, and Milton Keynes kept their head bobbing above water, and it looked like they had refound form.

And then the season turned into a disaster.

After their win against Milton Keynes on the 14th December, Gillingham went 76 days without a win—the longest drought in the top four English leagues at that time.

During that time, they played 13 games and picked up just six points.

Was great to cover the @TheGillsFC VS @ftfc match.
Fleetwood Town ran out 2-1 winners of the match in a highly contested match.
This means Gillingham are still without a win in 2025. Their last win was the against MK Dons on the 14th December. pic.twitter.com/fqOx1eUUp3

— Joe Ryan (@JoeRyan1203) February 25, 2025

Mark Bonner was sacked in January, but John Coleman did little to steady the ship. In his two and a half months in charge, he picked up just two wins.

The Turnaround

After Coleman’s dismissal, Gillingham were in freefall. They sat in 19th—relatively safe of relegation with 13 points separating them from the drop—but fans were in disarray.

When Gareth Ainsworth was appointed, fans feared their awful form would continue.

But the English manager steadied the ship like nobody expected.

In the last nine games of the season, Ainsworth did not lose a single game. He did only win three of those games, but Gillingham’s losing streak was over.

The 2024/25 Season

Heading into the 2024/25 season, not many Gillingham fans could have expected how well they would be doing.

10 games, six wins, three draws and two losses.

FT: Gillingham 0-1 Harrogate#Gills pic.twitter.com/69Xsqlnf3L

— Gillingham FC (@TheGillsFC) September 27, 2025

In this time, they have had wins against Walsall, Chesterfield, Crewe Alexander, and Accrington Stanley, all of which sit in the top half of the table. Walsall themselves were the team to replace Gillingham in first place.

There have also been a myriad of smart signings made by the club. Seb Palmer-Houlden joined from Bristol, and at the age of just 21, he will be expected to be integrated into the lineup and lead the team in years to come.

Their biggest signing so far, however, is Sam Vokes. An ex-Premier League striker who scored 17 goals in England's most elite division has also played 64 times for the Welsh national side, scoring 11 goals in the process.

As it stands, Gillingham are in a good place. They have a strong manager, a good group of key core players and the fans back the side.

But there is that inkling that what has happened in the past can happen again.

Todays match against Milton Keynes show that Gillingham have issues. They were very poor at the back and had extremely sloppy moments at the back

With matches agains Cheltenham and Grimsby coming up, only time will tell if they will be able to get out of this rut, or if they will sink once again.