The dream start Mark Bonner, Gillingham would love to repeat v Carlisle United: View | OneFootball

Twenty-three years ago, Gillingham produced a five-star performance against Preston North End on opening day.

Highlights

The new season is finally upon us and fans up and down the country will head to their teams’ first games of the campaign full of optimism that this could be their year.

That will certainly be the case at Priestfield Stadium on Saturday as Gillingham head into their League Two opener against Carlisle United with a new manager, a refreshed squad, and renewed optimism that the Kent club can make a legitimate challenge for promotion in 2024/25.

That optimism will spike even further if Mark Bonner’s new-look Gills side can get a big opening-day win over a side that many pundits have rated as possible promotion contenders themselves.

Gillingham produced a performance to remember on opening day 2001/02

That’s not to say the Gills couldn’t produce something special at Priestfield on Saturday, with opening day sometimes throwing up eye-catching results.

And for Gills fans, there is no better example of this than their opening day home game against Preston North End at the start of the 2001/02 Championship (then called the First Division) season.

Preston had come close to earning promotion to the Premier League the previous season, but lost out to Bolton Wanderers in Cardiff as their hopes of Premier League football were cruelly dashed in the play-off final.

Despite a strong campaign, David Moyes’ side suffered their biggest defeat of the season at Priestfield when Gillingham thrashed them 4-0 in December 2000. And, with the Gills looking to hit the ground running at the start of the 2001/02 season, they made things even worse for the Lilywhites.

August 11, 2001, saw Gillingham produce one of their best-ever performances in English football’s second tier as they put Preston to the sword 5-0 in a stunning display.

Browning’s brace powered Gillingham to huge win

It was a huge day for Gills midfielder Marcus Browning, who had battled injuries during a torrid two-year spell. But against Preston, a fully-fit Browning delivered a two-goal performance that helped propel Gillingham to a resounding win.

The former Huddersfield midfielder opened the scoring after latching onto a poor clearance on the edge of the Preston box and firing into the net. Then, two minutes later, Chris Hope’s cross caused chaos in the Preston defence, and Hope’s centre-half partner Barry Ashby took advantage as he swept home Gillingham’s second.

The game settled down a little at 2-0, though Gills strikers Iffy Onuora and summer signing Guy Ipoua both missed decent chances, and it wasn’t until the 67th minute that Gillingham turned up the heat again.

Onuora held up the ball well and laid it off for Browning to slam home his second, while the former then netted Gillingham’s fourth after captain Paul Smith saw his shot come back off the post. The rout was completed when Ty Gooden tapped home Gillingham’s fifth.

It was a result that sent Gillingham into dreamland and straight to the top of the First Division.

Gillingham fans would love a repeat performance against Carlisle on Saturday

Gillingham now find themselves further down the football pyramid and battling to get back to English football’s second tier. That run starts this season, with a real sense of optimism that the Gills can make a real run at promotion to League One after back-to-back seasons in League Two.

Owner Brad Galinson, managing director Joe Comper, and thousands of Gillingham fans will be hoping that Bonner and his new-look squad can earn promotion this season. And what better way to deliver a statement of intent than to hand a possible promotion rival a resounding defeat on the opening day of the season, similar to that 5-0 win over Preston 23 years ago?

A reminder of that win remains at the club, with Gillingham's manager that day, Andy Hessenthaler, working as their head of recruitment.

With injuries hitting the Gills’ forward line just before the start of the season and the team still gelling as a unit, it might take a few games before the Kent side hits top form. But with a forward-thinking manager and a young, hungry squad full of positive attacking players, the potential is there for a big season at ME7.

We’ll get our first real glimpse of that potential on Saturday.