Gillingham managing director Joe Comper speaks about the two-year plan now in place under manager Gareth Ainsworth

Gillingham’s new strategy has seen the club drop the promotion talk.

The Gills have a two-year plan which they hope will bring rewards and keeping their new boss Gareth Ainsworth in place for the entirety is key to the new project.

Gillingham’s American chairman Brad Galinson hasn’t hidden his desire for promotion from the bottom tier of the EFL and frustration that they’re still there. Three managers have paid the price for being unable to deliver on the club’s high expectations since the takeover.

There’s a new approach now in place, however, and managing director Joe Comper has explained why they’re now focusing on how to achieve their aim rather than talking up their targets.

He said: “In January, we almost hit pause. We've been round and round in circles, hiring multiple managers, as we know.

“We decided to outline a vision for the club, what we want our team to look like, and identify all the people that are going to suit that vision when the time comes.

“We spent a bit of time, myself, Andy Hessenthaler (head of recruitment), Ronnie Jepson (recruitment), working with (owners) Brad and Shannon and some of the first team staff as we set about what our vision is, what we want the team to look like, what's the identity?

“I was on the phone to Brad and he said, ‘Are Gareth and Dobbo available?’ ‘No, they're at Shrewsbury now, it's complicated’, but he said, ‘How does that work? Can we talk to them?’ I said, ‘Well we need to get permission’.

“It's wasn’t an easy appointment, there were far easier options for us, but we think it's the appointment that fits our vision, both character-wise and style of play-wise, and that helps us to believe that as we go on this journey for our two-year plan, we will be able to build