Gillingham boost will leave Salford, Walsall & Swindon with a sinking feeling - they need to make it count | OneFootball

With attacking reinforcements starting to return to the fold, fast-starting Gillingham FC could potentially get even stronger in the coming months.

There are a lot of smiling faces at Gillingham FC right now.

The Gills have made an unbeaten start to the 2025-26 League Two season and currently sit at the top of the table after the first nine games of the season. And last weekend, they broke the long-standing club record for the longest undefeated streak, with their 3-1 win at Newport extending their current run to 21 consecutive league games.

But those smiles at ME7 aren't just for what's already happened – they're grinning because of what's potentially still to come.

That's because, despite an overwhelmingly positive start to the campaign, the Gills haven't been operating at their very best.

Goalscoring problems are starting to turn around for Gillingham

Heading into the season, much was said – including on this very site – about the need to address a lack of firepower up front. And while the club hasn't broken the bank to sign a 20-goal-a-season man, manager Gareth Ainsworth has subtly changed the way of playing to help keep Gillingham in the goals.

Ainsworth's high-pressing style has helped create opportunities for the Gills, who have a remarkable record of having scored in every single league game under Ainsworth's tenure. And while many of their wins have come via a single goal, on occasion they've shown they can find the net more than once when needed.

New signings add significant firepower across the Gillingham front line

Ainsworth and Gillingham have recruited well during the summer transfer window, including on Deadline Day, and those signings are already making an impact.

On loan Wigan winger Jonny Smith has arrived at Priestfield with a reputation for hard running and a wand of a left peg, and he's already made an impact. His first major contribution, a stunning 25-yard effort, helped the Gills to a 3-1 win at Newport at the weekend.

On the other flank, Garath McCleary will add pace, quality and veteran savvy to the attack. His controversial FA ban for his role in Gillingham's stoppage-time penalty at Bromley ended after the weekend, and he'll be back for selection this weekend's home game with Harrogate Town.

And while that trio offers plenty of hope for the Gills, last weekend saw the long-awaited emergence of early-summer signing Seb Palmer-Houlden. The former Bristol City striker picked up an injury late in pre-season and has been working his way back ever since. Now fully fit and ready to go, he'll be a major factor in the Gills' attack in the weeks and months ahead, too.

Experienced heads are playing a big role for Gareth Ainsworth

Experience will play a huge factor for the Gills this season, with the likes of Sam Vokes and McCleary joining Bradley Dack and Jonny Williams as players with major experience at higher levels of the game.

Vokes, in particular, is already making a big difference on and off the pitch, acting as a mentor and striker's coach for fellow target man Josh Andrews, whose form since his return to fitness has been one of the biggest positives of the season so far for the Gills. On the pitch, he's shown his veteran savvy to help his team, including deflecting the pressure and attention away from penalty-taker Max Clark before Gillingham's crucial equaliser at Bromley.

That quartet, plus the evergreen Glenn Morris between the sticks, will provide the sort of leadership and on-pitch smarts that every successful side needs.

A fully-fit squad is a scary prospect for Gillingham's promotion rivals

With Smith, Vokes and McCleary now fully embedded into the Gills squad, plus the return of Palmer-Houlden up front, Gillingham have gone from a team with limited options in attack to a side blessed with a plethora of permutations to choose from.

With Andrews and Vokes giving the Gills two dangerous target men, Elliott Nevitt and Palmer-Houlden providing industry and hard running alongside them, and the likes of McCleary, Smith and Aaron Rowe providing options out wide, Ainsworth now has a dangerous collective of attacking talent at his disposal.

It means that a side that has been built on defensive stability and hard work throughout the team is about to be boosted by the addition of a much more potent forward line.

That makes the Gills' solid early start even more of a concern for the likes of Salford City, Walsall and Swindon Town, who have all started well and harbour hopes of a promotion season.

Gillingham have started previous seasons well, only for the wheels to fall off as the autumn months kick in. But with the Gills looking strong from back to front with a squad of real depth – and with the club seemingly as united off the pitch as it looks on it, this year's team looks far more capable of sustaining their impressive early-season pace. Those sitting just below Gills in the table might have the sinking feeling that Ainsworth's side are about to pull away.

If they can keep their good early-season form rolling through October and November, this iteration of Gillingham FC could quickly go from pretenders to contenders this season.