Connor Mahoney’s happy to wait until the summer to sort out his next move while Gillingham are embroiled in a fight to claim a play-off place.
Mahoney is on loan from Championship side Huddersfield Town but admits there’s been no contact with his parent club since he decided to head to Gillingham to enjoy his football again.
Mahoney moved to Huddersfield in the summer of 2022 on a two-year deal – with the Yorkshire side having an option of another season – but was limited to just nine substitute appearances in the Championship last season. He was keen to get out on loan to get games after three years at Millwall before that where he came off the bench more times than he started.
Huddersfield were managed by Neil Warnock when Mahoney moved to the Gills and Darren Moore took charge before being sacked after just four months. German Andre Breitenreiter took charge of the Terriers in mid-February with the task of saving them from relegation.
Mahoney has seen more regular football at Gillingham than he’s experienced before and a recent switch to a 4-2-3-1 system allows him to play in his preferred position.
Speaking before the weekend, where he hit the winner against Morecambe, he said: “I am at Huddersfield at the moment but out of contract next season so free to do what I want.
“It is something I will probably address in the summer, after the season is finished, spend some time with my family and go from there but I have really enjoyed it here and for me, at the end of the day playing football is the main thing.
“The next step for me would be to continue doing that, wherever that may be.
“I haven’t spoken to them (Huddersfield) since I have been here but they have been great, I just said I wanted to go and play football, just enjoy myself, and get a smile back on my face.
“I am here and a Gills player this season, my main focus is everything Gillingham and then we will address it in the summer.
“I am 27 years of age, I feel I am hitting my prime so for me now it is purely football-related.
“I want to make the most out of the career I do have left and my family have been really supportive.”
Mahoney’s young family remain based in the north of the country but the lure of regular football – and former boss Neil Harris – was enough to tempt him to the Gills.
He’s managed to maintain a key role in the team under Clemence and playing games remains vital for any decision he makes in the future.
“I have enjoyed this season,” he said. “My family have been to games and they have enjoyed it as well. They just want to see me happy on and off the pitch.
“If I am not playing it’s not great, they just want to see me happy and doing what I love.
“I’ve not got an ego – I just want to play football, I grew up wanting to play football on a Saturday and I had a few years on the bench and not in the squad, mentally it does take a toll on you if you’re not doing what you want to be doing.
“I spoke to people close to me and said if I am playing football that’s the main issue for me, we addressed that this season and that is what I will be doing going forward.”
