Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth had a message to the fans who packed Priestfield on Saturday.
The Gills had their best home support since Hollywood-backed Wrexham showed up in February 2024 and left with nothing, but this time there was to be no happy ending.
More: Gills players left devastated after weekend loss
Ainsworth’s men went into the game off the back of breaking a club record for an unbeaten league run, but were unable to stretch that to 22 games after a 1-0 loss.
A fan-led campaign attempted to get a crowd of 8,000 at Priestfield, the gate announced was 7,406, with 85 backing Harrogate.
It’s the best home crowd since that sell-out visit of Wrexham, which included 7,849 home fans.
“Thank you for coming down and supporting us,” said Ainsworth, to the Gills fans on Saturday.
“Thank you for singing at the end and getting behind the boys, telling the boys exactly what they mean to you. Because I tell you what, that’s what you mean to us. We reciprocated that respect.
“We go again next week. I’m sure there’ll be a bumper crowd at MK Dons and we’re ready to get stuck into that.
“The fans were brilliant. I think for what this group of fans has been through over the last three or four seasons, thank you, because you dug deep [on the day] and I realise that.
“I stay in the town once a week and I get fans coming up to me and they’re all saying, ‘Oh, thanks for what you’re doing’. I’m saying now to the fans, ‘Thanks for what you’re doing, because you’re getting right behind these boys’.
“That means a lot to them, because you don’t realise how important the support and the positive vibes you feel in the stadium. When it goes the other way, you feel that too. I don’t like the other way.
“I’ll fight through anything for this group of boys, but I haven’t just got the squad, I’ve got the fans as well, and that’s superb to have.
“Away from home at Newport last week, they were just brilliant as well, and they got us through that game. They’ll be back and hopefully we can give them some more to shout about.”
Ainsworth’s 18-game unbeaten run at the start of his stint as Gills boss has won him plenty of support, from young and old.
“This place means a lot to me now,” he said.
“The fans have got behind me and you can’t just ask that as a manager. Some managers don’t get that at the start.”
