Gillingham Football Club

Priestfield Stadium

Redfern Avenue

Gillingham

Kent

ME7 2PE

FGR’s first ever trip to Gillingham.

Away fans are mostly housed on one side of the Brian Moore Stand (on the Medway Stand side) where around 1,500 supporters can be accommodated. This stand is of a temporary nature, so be prepared to meet a wall of scaffolding when you walk through the turnstiles.

Although home and away fans have their own turnstile entrances, once inside it is surprising that both sets of fans are able to freely mingle behind the Brian Moore Stand. This end is uncovered, so be prepared to get wet (although the Club does hand out free rain macs if the heavens open) and it is quite difficult to really create some atmosphere from this area.

There are 200 covered seats that are made available to visiting supporters in the Gordon Road Stand. Although there is the odd supporting pillar at the back of the stand that could impede your view, it does have a roof, unlike the Brian Moore Stand. The stand itself is of a good size and height (you can get some great views of the surrounding area at the very top of it), plus the views of the playing action are fine. Unlike most temporary stands though the facilities are surprisingly good, being of a permanent nature behind the structure. Sometimes supporters in this area do try to make some noise by stamping on the metal rows of the stand.

One unusual aspect of visiting Priestfield Stadium is that away supporters have to walk down a very narrow terraced street to reach the away entrance, or if coming from adjacent streets down very tight alleyways. However, there is never normally any problems with this although after the game the Police sometimes close off some of the surrounding streets to keep fans apart.

In September 2023 Gillingham were fined £12,500 following racist chanting at last season’s Colchester match and sexist chanting at matches against Sutton & Wimbledon. This season at the match against MK Dons a Gillingham supporter was arrested for making homophobic comments and at their Notts County match the away goalkeeper was hit by an object thrown from the crowd. Against Newport in October 23 a Gillingham supporter made a racist gesture towards an away goalscorer and has been banned from Gillingham matches for life.

Both Gillingham FC and their Supporters Club have condemned these incidents.

By Supporters Coach – the best and easiest way.

For full details of Away Travel: –

Click here: – FGR Away Travel – Forest Green Rovers Supporters Club (fgrsc.com)

Book your coach ticket with your match ticket from FGR.

For coach departure times etc – Tickets & Travel: Gillingham (A) | WE ARE FGR

Discount for FGR Supporters Club members.

Supporters Club Members need to book by phone or go to reception to get their discount.

Click – Tickets | WE ARE FGR

By phone on 0333 123 1889 Monday to Friday, between 9am and 3pm.

Please try to book as early as you can.

By Train

From Stroud station it takes about 4 hours and would involve going via London Paddington & another London station.

Priestfield Stadium is about a ten minute walk away from Gillingham Railway Station,

Hourly trains on Southeastern’s High Speed service depart from London St Pancras at 20 minutes past the hour, with a scheduled journey time to Gillingham of around 45 minutes. As this is Southeastern’s flagship service, tickets cost more than those to Gillingham from other London termini.

Southeastern trains to Gillingham depart from London Victoria at 10 and 40 minutes past the hour (journey time around 50 minutes) and 42 minutes past the hour (journey time around 70 minutes).

Thameslink trains to Gillingham depart from London Blackfriars at 11 and 41 minutes past the hour (journey time around 90 minutes). These trains also stop enroute at London Bridge, from where they depart at 18 and 48 minutes past the hour.

Please check train times carefully to ensure that you can get home OK and be aware there is always the possibility of industrial action or engineering work.

Walking from the station – Turn left out of the station and follow the road until you come to a crossroads. Go straight on into Priestfield Road. The visitors turnstiles are at the far end of Priestfield Road. Allow ten minutes to get from the station and into the ground.

By Car

Post Code for SAT NAV: ME7 4DD

From Stroud area it will take over 3 hours and is about 165 miles.

Leave the M2 at Junction 4 and take the A278 towards Gillingham, going straight across two roundabouts. At the 3rd roundabout turn left onto the A2 towards Gillingham town centre. At the traffic light junction with the A231, turn right into Nelson Road and passing the small bus station take a right turn into Gillingham Road, the ground is down on your right.

Car Parking

There is no available parking at, or outside the stadium, on matchdays.

The following car parks are within 10 minutes’ walk –

There is a pay and display car park on Railway Street near Gillingham station.

Our Lady of Gillingham Church (Ingram Road, ME7 1YL). charge about £3. once the car park is full the gate to the car park is closed and someone is always present throughout the match.

Woodlands Primary School (Woodlands Road, ME7 2DU) has offered the use of its car parks for supporters’ use. Its 100-plus spaces will be available on a first-come, first-served basis at £5 each from 1.30pm for every Saturday match. Staff will be on hand to assist with the arrangements but will close at 6pm.

Parking is also available at Barnsole Primary School (ME7 2JG)

NB The following roads are restricted to permit holders only. Balmoral Road, Windsor Road, Ferndale Road, Linden Avenue, Priestfield Road, Gordon Road, Livingstone Road, Coulman Street, Beaconsfield Avenue, Harold Avenue, School Lane, Toronto Road, Redfern Avenue and parts of Sunnymead Avenue. Traffic Wardens often undertake patrols on matchdays, so it is strongly recommended you choose alternative parking areas.

Suggested alternatives include eastern end of Sunnymead Avenue, Chicago Avenue, Canadian Avenue, Valley Road, Sturdee Avenue, Woodlands Road, Carlton Avenue, Alexandra Avenue, Larkfield Avenue, Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

Outside the Ground

The Fleur De Lis pub on Gillingham Road, which is around a ten-minute walk away from the Priestfield Stadium, has been designated by the local Police as an away fans pub. This pub shows Sky & BT Sports, has hot and cold snacks and is family friendly. To find this pub, then with away entrance behind you, walk down to the bottom of the street. Turn left and on reaching a roundabout (where the Livingstone Arms used to be and where there is a handy fish & chip shop) turn right onto Gillingham Road. The pub is up on the right.

Otherwise, the ground is walkable from the town centre, where there are a few pubs to be found. ‘Will Adams’ in the town centre. The pub is in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide and does good cheap food. Also located not far from the Will Adams on Skinner Street, is the small Past & Present micropub, which serves real ale and cider. Otherwise, alcohol is made available to away fans to buy inside the stadium.

This season will be the first competitive matches between the 2 teams.

The reverse fixture in December 23 ended goalless.

Gillingham are currently in 8th place with 41 points.

January Results

Accrington Stanley 1  Gillingham 2

Gillingham 0 Sheffield United 4 (FA Cup)

Colchester 0 Gillingham 1

Goalkeeper Glenn Morris was Gillingham’s player of the season 22/23.

Glenn is in his second spell at Gillingham. Londoner Glenn began his career at Orient before subsequently playing at Southend, Aldershot, Gillingham & Crawley before returning to Gillingham initially on loan and now permanently.

Current top scorers:-

Macaulay Bonne – 5 goals,

Connor Mahoney – 4 goals,

Scott Malone – 4 goals.

On 17th January Gillingham signed defender Remeao Hutton on a permanent deal from fellow League Two side Swindon Town. The 25-year-old, who can play at full-back and wing-back, joined the Robins in the summer of 2022. He went on to play 76 games for Swindon, including 29 during this campaign, scoring one goal.

Director of Football Kenny Jacket presenting player of the season award to Glenn Morris.

Head Coach Stephen Clemence.

Gillingham sacked Neil Harris in October with the team in eighth place in L2. Academy Head Keith Millen was then appointed interim manager.

Stephen Clemence, 45, the son of former England goalkeeper Ray Clemence, arrived at Gillingham at the start of November 2023, having coached at a number of clubs, many of which were in the Premier League.

Clemence has worked closely with ex-Gillingham player Steve Bruce at Sunderland, Hull City, Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion and won promotion to the Premier League while with Hull as Assistant Head Coach in 2016.

As a player Clemence came through the youth ranks at Tottenham Hotspur and made his professional debut against Manchester United in the Premier League on August 10, 1997. He scored his first goal in a Spurs shirt in an FA Cup tie at home to Fulham in January the following year. He went on to make 108 appearances in total while at White Hart Lane, scoring three goals. In January 2003 Birmingham City paid a reported £250,000 for his services and Clemence made 125 appearances for the club across a four-and-half year spell. In July 2007 Leicester City paid a million pounds for his signature but, due to injury, he was limited to making just 34 appearances, scoring three times.

Clemence featured for England U21’s on one occasion as a player, that coming as a substitute against Sweden in a 2-0 win in February 1998.

Clemence decided to retire due to a heel injury in Easter 2010. He was released by Leicester at the end of that season and the midfielder then moved onto coaching.

Clemence is assisted by Robbie Stockdale who has coached at Grimsby Town and Sunderland. He also managed Rochdale while the team were in League 2 in the 2021-22 season. As a player he featured for Middlesbrough while in the Premier League before having stints at Rotherham and Tranmere Rovers.

Gillingham Football Club claims to be the only Kent-based club in the Football League, The club was founded in 1893 as New Brompton Football Club, a name retained until 1912, and played in the Southern League before joining the Football League in 1920. After 18 unsuccessful seasons, Gillingham were voted out of the league in favour of Ipswich at the end of the 1937-38 season and returned to the Southern League. The club was voted back into the Football League in 1950, when it was expanded from 88 to 92 clubs. Twice in the late 1980s Gillingham came close to winning promotion to the second tier of English football, but a decline then set in and in 1993 they narrowly avoided relegation to the Conference. Between 2000 and 2005, Gillingham were in the second tier of the English Football League System for the only time in their history, achieving a club record highest league finish of eleventh place in 2002-03.

The club originally played in black and white striped shirts but switched to blue shirts in the 1930s. The club crest has traditionally depicted the white horse symbol of the county of Kent. Priestfield Stadium has been the club’s home ground throughout its existence; it once held up to 30,000 fans but in the modern era the capacity is less than half that figure. The club has twice won the championship of English football’s fourth tier, in the 1963-64 and 2012-13 seasons, under managers Freddie Cox and Marin Allen respectively.

Popular Big Match presenter Brian Moore.

Football commentator Brian Moore was born in Kent and was a lifelong supporter of Gillingham and served as a director at the club for seven years. A stand at the club’s Priestfield Stadium is named after him.

Kate Garroway – Breakfast TV presenter. Her husband Derek Draper sadly passed away recently as a result of long Covid.

Oz Clarke – Wine expert.

Gary Rhodes – Chef

Olly Murs – Singer

Gillingham Fans Forum – The Blues Rock Cafe! | Vital Football

Ryan Innis played 3 times for Gillingham in 2014.

Emmanuel Osadebe, who signed for FGR from Bradford City on 18th January 24, played for Gillingham between 2015-17 making 42 appearances & scoring 3 goals.

Horses Tommy & Tammy are the Gillingham mascots. The Kent & football club crests incorporate a white horse.

Royal Engineers Museum

The Museum tells the story of the Corps of Royal Engineers and how they have helped the British Army live, move and fight for over 300 years. Highlights include 25 Victoria Crosses, Wellington’s map of Waterloo, Chard’s weapons from the Zulu War, an amazing collection of bridge laying tanks the world’s first useable guided torpedo, a huge piece of the Berlin Wall, a Harrier Jump Jet and a deadly V2 Rocket.

Home – Royal Engineers Museum (re-museum.co.uk)

Medway Queen

The Medway Queen Preservation Society is an organisation which is currently being fitted out the paddle steamer ‘Medway Queen’. The ship was a minesweeper and was involved in the evacuation of Dunkirk during the WWII. You can visit the vessel, the visitor centre and the souvenir shop on Saturday (11am-4pm).

Medway Queen Preservation Society – Home

Hempsted Valley

Hempstead Valley, Gillingham, is located just off J4 of M2. There are over 50 retailers at the centre including M&S, Sainsbury’s, Pandora, TK Maxx, Argos, Wallis and Boots. The Venue is home to a new dining experience with Nando’s, Frankie & Benny’s, Bella Italia, Friendly Phil’s, Costa Coffee and Subway. Parking is free for up to 6 hours.

Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre, Kent. Shop dine enjoy!

Chatham Naval Memorial

The Memorial overlooks the town of Chatham and is approached by a steep path from the Town Hall Gardens. Chatham Naval Memorial commemorates 8,517 sailors of the First World War and 10,098 of the Second World War.

Call The Midwife Tour

From £35 per adult.

2023 Call the Midwife Location Tour in Chatham (tripadvisor.co.uk)