John Coleman, Gillingham must use Carlisle United opportunity to extinguish relegation fire for good | OneFootball

Gills face some favourable fixtures over the next few weeks that should give them an opportunity to distance themselves from the drop.

John Coleman’s Gillingham have a huge opportunity to put some daylight between themselves and the League Two drop zone on Saturday when they travel to face the fourth division’s bottom club Carlisle United.

The Cumbrians have endured a dismal campaign and currently sit rock bottom of the entire Football League. Mark Hughes’ men are currently sat six points adrift of safety and, having won just one of their last nine games, are firmly in danger of back-to-back relegations.

With Carlisle surely staring relegation in the face, Saturday’s clash provides the perfect opportunity for Gillingham to go some of the way to easing their own relegation fears.

This weekend’s trip up North marks the start of a favourable run of games for Coleman’s men, which could be enough to all-but confirm their place in the EFL for next season, should they pick up their fair share of points.

Gillingham have massively underwhelmed this season

The Gills have been tipped for big things in League Two over the last few seasons after they were taken over by American property magnate Brad Galinson in December 2022. However, it’s fair to say they haven’t even come close to meeting the lofty expectations that many had for them before this season kicked off.

With a squad featuring the likes of Shadrach Ogie, Jonny Williams, the returning Bradley Dack (pictured) and Elliott Nevitt, Gillingham have quality all across the pitch. However, instead of being in a fight at the top end of the table like many expected, they currently find themselves 19th and in danger of being dragged further into the relegation scrap if they don’t improve.

A promising start to the season saw the Gills notch six wins from their first eight league games, a run which left them sat at the summit of the table at the end of September.

Mark Bonner’s side picked up 19 points from those first eight games, meaning they have worryingly taken just 15 from their last 22 matches.

A run of five straight defeats during October drastically changed the outlook of their season, and Bonner was given the boot in early January, midway through another losing run.

The responsibility has since fallen on former Accrington boss John Coleman, who achieved promotion with Stanley and kept them up in League One for several years.

However, seven games into his tenure, Coleman is still yet to win a game. Their current run of 11 games without a win has left the Gills looking nervously over their shoulders.

Although they have a fairly watertight defence, Gillingham have scored just 26 goals, a tally better than only Tranmere and Saturday’s opponents, Carlisle.

As such, they’ve struggled to score the goals needed to turn draws into crucial wins. Now just eight points clear of the drop, improvement is needed if they are to avoid a particularly nervy finish to the season.

The Carlisle game represents a big opportunity to pick up three points

With games against Carlisle, Fleetwood, Morecambe and Newport coming up on the horizon, this really is a fantastic opportunity for Coleman’s men to put all fears of relegation behind them.

Saturday’s opponents are also onto their third manager of the campaign and find themselves in massive trouble at the foot of the table.

The Cumbrians hit the headlines recently for bizarrely sacking previous boss Mike Williamson on transfer deadline day, despite having backed him with 11 new signings over the course of the window.

Like Coleman, Hughes has failed to oversee any rule improvement as of yet and, with the number of remaining games rapidly dwindling, the prospect of a first relegation into non-league since 2004 is looming ever larger.

From Gillingham’s point of view, they couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to distance themselves from the drop zone. Brunton Park is home to the fourth division’s worst home record, with Carlisle tasting victory on home turf on just two occasions all season.

Victory in Cumbria would also provide the perfect platform for the upcoming clashes with Fleetwood and Morecambe. If Coleman’s side could take at least six points from these three encounters, it would surely be enough to ensure they remain a Football League side next season.

However, if they fail to improve over these next few games, they could find themselves facing an extremely edgy end to the season.