Gareth Ainsworth's Wycombe blueprint could help Gillingham to success | OneFootball

Gareth Ainsworth can lean on his past successes at Wycombe as he looks to turn things around at Gillingham.

Gareth Ainsworth will look to repeat his successes at Wycombe Wanderers as he looks to turn around the fortunes of Gillingham FC.

The new Gillingham boss arrives at Priestfield with a huge task on his hands as he bids to transform the Kent club’s fortunes after successive years of disappointment on the field under several different managers and head coaches.

Now Ainsworth has been tasked with leading the Gills, with the club talking about a “two-year plan” that Ainsworth will spearhead on the field. It’s a big job, but he’s had success at this level before.

Success at Wycombe

Ainsworth was appointed player-manager of Wycombe back in 2012, and he eventually hung up the boots and turned his attention to management full-time.

During an 11-year stint at Wycombe, Ainsworth transformed the club and turned a struggling League Two side into a Championship club as he took the club to English football’s second tier for the first time in their history.

Ainsworth departed Wycombe for Queens Park Rangers in 2023, then joined Shrewsbury in 2024. But now, he’s taking on a fresh new challenge at Gillingham, and he’s already starting to make his presence felt.

Relishing a new challenge at Gillingham

Ainsworth was appointed Gillingham boss in March, with the club explaining that the new boss would kick off a new era for the football club as owners Brad and Shannon Galinson look to transform the club's fortunes.

Now Ainsworth has the keys to Gillingham's success, he's likely to lean on his experience from his Wycombe days to bring winning football back to Priestfield.

His late-season appointment has given him the chance to get settled at the club and assess the squad currently in the building at Priestfield, before embarking on the work of transforming and upgrading the squad this summer.

As he looks to retool the team for success in 2025-26, Ainsworth may well look to rediscover similar traits that helped his Wycombe side to success as he took them from League Two to the Championship.

Key Wycombe roles could be repeated at Gillingham

Ainsworth's Wycombe side featured a number of key players who played crucial roles for his team, and there are already potential options for the new Gills boss if he wants to repeat those roles at ME7.

Joe Jacobson played an important role at left back, and was handed the responsibility for set pieces and penalty kicks, and already Ainsworth has earmarked Max Clark for a similar role.

The Gills full-back's form has been patchy during his time at Priestfield, but he's playing his best football as a Gill right now, and Ainsworth's influence seems to be getting the best out of him.

Like Jacobson, Clark has been given penalty-kick duties, and he's already netted twice from the spot. He's also turning in better performances overall.

Up front, Ainsworth benefited from the Herculean strength and hold-up play of Adebayo Akinfenwa was a huge weapon for his Wycombe side. Gillingham also have the option of playing with a physical target man, with Oli Hawkins. Physically, he's a very different presence to Akinfenwa, but he can offer similar qualities as a hold-up man.

Transfer window will be crucial to Ainsworth's success at Gillingham

And, as a whole, Ainsworth will want his Gills side to embody similar qualities to his Wycombe side, with a smaller squad, more togetherness, and a front-foot approach that helps accentuate their own abilities going forward.

The summer transfer window will be very interesting at Gillingham as Ainsworth and the club's head of recruitment, Andy Hessenthaler, collaborate to bring in the key men Ainsworth needs to build a winning side.

More goals need to be brought into the side, and Ainsworth will be looking for more options up front, as well as in wide areas, as he looks to make the Kent club a more dangerous proposition moving forward. More defensive reinforcements may also be on his summer shopping list, too.

Gills fans will already be encouraged by what they have seen from Ainsworth's Gillingham so far. But, with the new boss admitting that he's very much in the assessment stage of his tenure, fans won't get to see a real Gareth Ainsworth Gillingham side until next season.