Gillingham’s new manager John Coleman on how he hopes they can score more goals

New boss John Coleman is confident he can find the solution to Gillingham’s goalscoring problems.

The lack of goals has been a hindrance to the Gills for some time – a challenge that the past three managers haven’t been able to find an answer to.

Gillingham were relegated from League 1 in 2022 after scoring a paltry 35 times. That total was bettered by just one the following year. Last term they managed an improved 46 - still the second lowest in the division, just two more than the bottom side.

Once again this season, the Gills have struggled for goals, despite a summer recruitment campaign that looked to put the problem to bed once and for all. Under sacked manager Mark Bonner, Gillingham managed to score just 22 in 23 games.

Over three and a half seasons, that’s 139 goals in 161 games.

Coleman - who was a prolific non-league striker in his playing days - will need to turn that trend around if he wants to get the club’s promotion campaign back on track.

“It's all about buying more tickets to the raffle, isn't it?” he said.

“It's getting yourself into situations that you can make opportunities.

“There's been a big explosion over the last couple of years about xG (expected goals).

“You don't win for xG but it can, to a certain extent, educate you on how the game's been played.”

According to footystats.org the Gills are the fourth worst in the division for xG, with 1.13.

Coleman said: “There's been times when we've had 28 shots to their three, and we've got beat and I'd spout that out after the game.

“I’ve then watched the video the next day, seven of them have been pea-rollers, two of them have been blocked, one of them being a half-cross shot that was never going to go in. So not realistic opportunities.

“I think if