WONDERS OF THE PYRAMID: Gillingham continue to set the pace in League Two… PLUS Norwich fan overcomes trolls to raise £55,000 for cancer charity

It was a cold January lunch earlier this year when former winner Leicester came to Gillingham for an FA Cup match.

Kent’s only Football League club welcomed a full house that day and while the Foxes may have thought they were the VIP guests, there was another star attraction.

Just before the players took the field at Priestfield, new owner Brad Galinson, the Florida-based real estate mogul, toured the stadium with his wife and sons after completing a takeover, ending 27 years of turbulent stewardship under Paul. Scaly.

That FA Cup match, in which Leicester came close to the television cameras, was a means of escapism for Gillingham fans. After being relegated from League One the season before, Neil Harris’ team started the year staring into the barrel of the abyss.

Gills were 92nd out of 92 in the Football League and were bottom of League Two with just seven goals and two wins to their name after 23 games. After decades of mismanagement at the board level, it felt like this club was dangerously tap-dancing over the hatch of non-League players.

But since then, Gillingham has gone on to live his own American dream. Galinson may not have the Hollywood stature of Rob McElhenney or Ryan Reynolds at Wrexham, although Mail Sport understands he was approached by television producers for a fly-on-the-wall docuseries.

The American declined, wanting instead to focus on the team’s survival bid and not be distracted by producers. After amassing 14 points in the first 23 games, Gills took 41 points from the last 23 games. They finished twelve points clear of relegation, just three behind the top half.

“It’s no secret that the past few months have been difficult,” Harris said on that January day. “It has been by far the worst time of my managerial career. Our Football League status is at stake. I am proud of the team and proud of the football club of today.

“Today we saw the link between the terraces and the field. That’s what I came here for. Hopefully this is a new era with the owner and arrangements. It’s a mega start. We need to embrace change, because this football club is moving forward and in the right direction.”

After four games, Gillingham are top of League Two and are now favorites with the bookies to win the title. That may be an overreaction, but they will be there for sure. Some fans jokingly refer to them as ‘One-nil-ingham’ as every match to date has ended in a 1-0 win.

They are the first team in English league history to win the first four games of a campaign by the same scoreline, and the second in history to win 1–0 in five games in a row. Last season they also ended with that result. Everton in the autumn of 2002. No team has ever done that in six games.

Seventeen players have joined the club under Galinson – rival fans will accuse them of big spend, but most were free transfers or cheap deals – and the standout names include Tom Nichols and Ashley Nadesan, both poached from Crawley, plus Jonny ‘Jonnyiesta ‘. Williams.

In addition to major acquisitions in the field, there have also been some sensible appointments in other departments. Kenny Jackett joined as director of football and Andy Hessenthaler now leads the recruiting team.

But Harris deserves credit for this turnaround. He inherited a sinking ship in League One and the off-field turmoil could have easily made him walk away. The former Millwall and Cardiff boss stayed on and now sees dividends.

Gillingham is of course not the only Football League club that is experiencing a positive development thanks to American owners. Burnley, Ipswich, Leyton Orient and Wrexham were all promoted last season – all four clubs have US interests.

While Galinson and his family may not make headlines from Wrexham’s owners – the Welsh club, for example, has 455,000 more followers on X (Twitter), he’s quietly doing brisk business and ensuring the club is only looking up.

In a witty BBC skit earlier this year, comedian Joe Wilkinson joked: ‘What can I tell you about Gillingham? David Frost apparently went to school here, there’s a famous shipyard… oh, there’s a great skating platform near where my brother lives.’

Now, after nearly three decades in the mud under Scally’s turbulent ownership, Wilkinson might add that the city once again has a football club to be proud of – and one that is only going one way. Welcome to Gillingham.

Norwich fan vanquishes trolls and raises £55,000

Social media and sports are often a toxic mix as players are now abused or discriminated against on a daily basis, but sometimes it can be brilliant. Such was the case this week with young Norwich fan Nathan West.

‘Westy’ went on camera for an informational side arm of the local newspaper, and was initially mocked by trolls for his performance before many rallied around him with positive comments.

The Canaries supporter will be running the Tonbridge Half Marathon for Macmillan Cancer Support in October and has set a fundraising target of £500. At the time of writing – and we have to say that given the speed of progress – he has raised the staggering amount reached £55,000.

Players like Angus Gunn and Shane Duffy have donated significant funds, while vibrant youngster Jonathan Rowe, who gave Westy the right tip to score for the Canaries, sends a signed shirt.

And long may the positivity continue at Carrow Road with them being one of the teams that stood out to me the most in the opening weeks. Well played, Westy and Norwich.

To donate, go to https://www.justgiving.com/page/nathan-west-tonbridge-half-marathon-2023

A look towards the weekend

Millwall v Stoke, Championship, Saturday 3pm

Bizarre chants of ‘Gary Rowett, your football is s***’ from Millwall fans last week. It’s not always pretty football, but not many managers would have led them to four places in the top half. “I worked so hard for four years and most of the time I lived far from my family,” Rowett said. “But I’m a big boy and I’ll keep going.”

Wigan v Barnsley, League One, Saturday 3pm

Wigan have already wiped out the eight-point deduction and by beating Bolton last weekend – whom many tipped for promotion – the Latics have shown some that they could be among the top six candidates whether or not they started with negative points. Tough game against Barnsley here.

Barrow v Wrexham, League Two, Saturday 3pm

No team in the Football League has scored more than Wrexham’s thirteen goals… but no team has conceded more than their thirteen goals. Good drama for the Disney cameras to be sure, but they hope to avoid a nightmare in Barrow’s Holker Street, a tough side to play against.