Gillingham can be turned around by Gareth Ainsworth - Bradley Dack decision must be part of rebuild | OneFootball

After a great start, Gillingham's season has gone off the rails. Now boss Gareth Ainsworth needs to take action.

All eyes are on Gareth Ainsworth as the famously optimistic Gillingham boss faces the biggest footballing test of his tenure at the Kent club.

The Ainsworth era at Priestfield couldn't have started much better, as he picked up the team and continued their improved form through the end of last season and through the first month of the 2025/26 campaign to break the club's longest winning streak by taking their unbeaten run to 20 games.

But, with the Gills looking strong, Ainsworth went into hospital to undergo heart surgery. It took the club's driving force out of action for a month, and the team's form fell off a cliff in his absence. More worryingly, even though Ainsworth returned in October, the team's form didn't – Gillingham have won just four league games since the end of September prior to Saturday's trip to Barrow.

Now, with the club stuck in a rut, and the Priestfield fans showing their discontent after the team's 3-0 home drubbing by Oldham Athletic, the pressure is on Ainsworth as he looks to turn the team's form around.

Here are the key areas Ainsworth needs to address before the summer:

Abandon squad rotation

If you took a poll of Gillingham's fanbase and asked them if Ainsworth knew his best starting XI, the chances are an overwhelming majority will say that he doesn't. That's because Ainsworth, ever since his return from surgery, has been in rotation mode as he has managed minutes for players throughout the season.

For those players returning from injury layoffs, that makes sense. But his apparent preference for changing up his side from game to game hasn't helped the team settle on the field. Since the end of September, the team hasn't looked cohesive at all, and the chopping and changing of both personnel and formations has led to issues on the pitch, most notably in defence.

With the season entering the run-in stage, Ainsworth should decide on his best back line, and stick to it for the remainder of the campaign.

Revert to two up front

Ainsworth has been a proponent of playing one central striker, and more often than not it's a big man. But, after more than 30 league games, there is more than enough evidence to show that, quite simply, it hasn't worked. The approach of shelling long balls at an immobile target man needs to change.

Gillingham's signing of striker Ronan Hale brought a genuine goalscorer into the club, and raised the fans' spirits. But seeing the Northern Irishman forced to operate from the left, rather than through the middle, has caused frustration, and neutered the striker's potency up front, simply because he's not in position to latch onto loose balls and half-chances in the areas that matter.

Whether Ainsworth persists with a big man up front, or tries a more mobile option in Seb Palmer-Houlden, the Gills boss needs to push Hale through the middle, and give him a legitimate strike partner to work with from game to game. It will maximise the chances for the club's best finisher to make a difference on the scoresheet, and will help take pressure off the rest of the team by having a pairing that can keep opposition defences honest.

Give Bradley Dack the armband

On first glance, Dack may be considered by some to be a luxury player Gillingham could do without. But in reality, he is among the most important players in Ainsworth's side.

The one player in the squad capable of creating something out of nothing, Dack's creativity isn't the only factor he brings to the table. His leadership qualities have been on display, with Dack standing out as the team's most effective on-pitch leader.

Given his experience, quality, and the fact that current captain Armani Little's form arguably doesn't warrant a place in the starting XI, the armband should be given to Dack as a sign that Ainsworth identifies the need for clear leadership on the pitch.

It also makes clear that he's building his team around Dack. He may have to come off towards the end of games to save his legs, but what he contributes in 70 minutes is more significant than most others can muster in 90.

Start planning for 2026/27

This season may have turned into a frustrating one, but Ainsworth has a golden opportunity to make sweeping changes at Gillingham this summer – and that's exactly what he should do.

With around 20 pros' contracts expiring in the summer, Ainsworth has the ability to execute a ruthless summer clear-out, with the freed-up wage bill giving him the ability to bring in players of his own choosing for next season.

Too many of the players at the club have played a part in the departures of more than one of Ainsworth's predecessors. And while they won him over upon his arrival at the club, when the nights drew in and the temperature dropped, too many of those players failed to deliver.

So, with the season entering its final quarter, it's time Ainsworth gave crucial game time to the players who will definitely still be at the club next season. That might mean bringing one or two fringe players into the side, but in the cases of the likes of Lenni Cirino and Euan Williams, that could bring some much-needed zest and energy to a team that is sorely lacking in that department. The new signings, including the sparingly-used Cameron Antwi, should all be fully blooded into the site, too.

It hasn't turned out the way Ainsworth had hoped, but as we head towards the end of the season, the end of Year 1 of the club's much-vaunted two-year plan needs to focus on preparing for the summer, before clearing the dead wood and completely revitalising the squad with a new set of players for Year 2. He probably hoped the squad would only need a few tweaks, but this season has shown that major surgery is required.