Gillingham: Connor Mahoney issues plea to Mark Bonner ahead of 2024/25 | OneFootball

Former Gillingham loanee Connor Mahoney says the Kent club should play more on the front foot next season to avoid another frustrating season in front of goal.

Mahoney, who joined the Gills on a season-long loan from Huddersfield Town, was one of the few bright spots in attack for a team that finished the season as League Two’s second-lowest goalscorers – only bottom club Forest Green Rovers managed fewer goals in 2023/24.

In a wide-ranging chat with The ME7 Podcast, Mahoney shared his insider’s take on Gillingham’s underperforming season, and offered his thoughts on where things went wrong.

Mahoney: Gills missed a natural goalscorer

Gillingham managed just 46 goals across their League Two campaign – an average of just one goal per game – and the lack of a cutting edge up front was clear to see, both from the stands and from inside the dressing room itself.

"Well, I think the big one is scoring goals, isn’t it?" Mahoney admitted.

"Personally, I think we had good strikers. That's not me saying that because I’m on the podcast, but maybe we didn’t have a goalscorer that was going to score 10-15 goals, you know? Even little ones that just nick off you, or a 'fox in the box' kind of thing where a shot gets parried and somebody just taps it in. I think obviously that’s a big issue.

"I think we needed to get somebody in January, and somebody coming in straight off the bat could give us a good three or four months, and score six, seven, eight goals."

Unfortunately for Mahoney and the Gills, that didn't happen. Gillingham did sign three forwards, but for various reasons, none of them gave the team the desired impact.

Colombian loanee Jorge Hurtado showed flashes of brilliance before sustaining a season-ending knee injury in his third appearance while their permanent signing, target man Josh Andrews, arrived at the club already injured, then suffered a second injury setback when he was on the cusp of his Gills debut. The club's other January loan addition, Burton striker Josh Walker, netted on his first appearance, but was largely ineffective thereafter.

That, along with the departures of forwards Tom Nichols to Mansfield and Macauley Bonne on loan to Cambridge, left the club weaker up front than before the January window, and the club subsequently limped to a 12th-place finish.

Gillingham need to find their identity, and their formation

Mahoney also suggested that the style of play adopted by last season's head coach Stephen Clemence (pictured above) didn't always bring the best out of the Gills squad's attacking players, with his team selections seemingly placing more emphasis on possession and defensive solidity than on opening teams up at the other end of the pitch.

"We went to a back five, three in midfield and two up front, and I started playing in centre-mid which, you know, I’ve never played there in my life!" he recalled.

"And you could probably tell when I did play there, I was so far away from the goal that it just didn’t suit me. And I didn’t think it suited the team as well, because I’m not saying everything creative comes from me – it doesn’t – but I think if you played 4-2-3-1, or 4-3-3, whatever the manager wanted to play, during the whole season and just proper stuck at it, I think we probably would have picked up a few more points."

Mahoney's opinion on the team looking stronger playing with four at the back will likely resonate with a sizeable portion of the Gills fanbase, who have shared similar views online about the team being too defensive and not committing enough players forward while playing a 3-5-2/5-3-2 formation.

"I think we played eight to 10 games with a back five and, for me, I just think it’s a bit defensive," he said.

"I just think if you played four at the back, just old school, two good wingers, big man/little man in the box, I think you’d have a good foundation, because everyone now goes with a back five (and) I think there’s so much you can exploit with a winger against an outside centre back."

Mahoney wants the Gills to go for the throat next season

When Gillingham were at their best last season, it was in games when they committed players forward and put the opposition on the back foot. Mahoney was one of the key beneficiaries in those situations, with his spectacular strike against Morecambe one of the abiding memories of Gillingham's season.

It's in games like that one that Mahoney feels the Gills need to be more ruthless in attack and back the abilities of their front players to create and score. That attack-first mindset is something he'd love to see implemented at Priestfield under new first-team manager Mark Bonner.

"Draws are good sometimes, against good teams. If you play a top side, sometimes you take a draw," he said.

"But I think going forward for the club next season, if I was the manager and I was playing against these teams at the bottom of the table, and you want to pick up three points, I think you’ve just got to go from the first minute, at it.

"I mean, go for the neck straight away, get a couple of goals – I know that’s easier said than done – but I think those games are kind of, 'Go and play, go and express yourselves, go and have fun.' I think that’s when you get the best out of players. Take the shackles off. There’s some very good players there for that level."

Mahoney uncertain over Gills return

As for his own future, Mahoney was remarkably relaxed. He's now a free agent after departing Huddersfield, and is ready to listen to offers from clubs. At the time, the lure of working with Neil Harris again was what tempted him south to Gillingham, but now, after spending a season at Priestfield, he hinted that he'd be interested in a possible return, but stopped short of issuing a "come and get me plea" to the club.

"I think the club is in such a good place behind the scenes, and hopefully, fingers crossed, they can get back to where they want to get to," he stated.

"I think they've got a really good team (and) hopefully can add a few more additions."

And on the topic of a potential return to Priestfield, he said: "What will be, will be, you know? If I come back, good. If not, then I’ll still be watching from afar as I’ve got friends there now. So I’ll keep in touch with everyone, and it’s been a pleasure."