Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth is excited for the summer rebuild ahead but admits he should have made more changes last year

Gillingham boss Gareth Ainsworth admits he should have made more changes last summer as he plans a major rebuild.

The Gills boss says lessons have been learned from a campaign that’s fallen short, with a renewed focus now on bringing in the right “characters” and “winners” to move the club forward.

Ainsworth joined the club at the back end of last season, and enjoyed an unbeaten end to the campaign, which continued into this one. But since October, the Gills have tumbled down the league table.

Last summer the Gills handed new deals to Robbie McKenzie, Glenn Morris, Bradley Dack, Max Clark, Euan Williams and Conor Masterson, with seven senior players released and no players transfer listed.

The club have assured fans that this year will be different.

Reflecting on last summer’s decisions, Ainsworth said: “I do [look back and think I should have made more changes], because we’re the same. We haven’t improved.

“I wanted to improve. I wish I’d have made more changes, and there’s reasons why I didn’t, but sometimes there are more reasons than people think.”

Ainsworth admitted decisions made throughout the season have also played a part in Gillingham’s struggles.

“You do things that you feel are right at the time, and sometimes they come back to bite you,” he said.

Turning his attention to the summer ahead, the manager made clear that mentality will be a key factor in recruitment.

“I think we’ve lacked characters over the years here,” he said.

“I’m going to try and recruit the right characters, but also winners and people who can put the legs in when needed.

“There’s a whole range of things that have been missing here for quite a while. I intend to change that.”

Gillingham’s recruitment structure has also been reshaped, with