Manager Gareth Ainsworth says Gillingham’s players will still meet after Saturday’s final game despite the awards night being cancelled.
The Gills announced earlier this week that their traditional end-of-season presentation night wasn’t going ahead, but the manager still thinks the players who have earned an award deserve to have their achievements recognised.
Gillingham have said that they will publish the award winners on their website.
No official explanation was given for the bash being binned, and Ainsworth was asked whether the decision reflected the season or the mood at present.
“You’ll have to ask a different person to me on the cancellation of that,” he stated.
“We’re still going to meet the sponsors, and the boys are still going to get together after the game. That [decision] was something out of the blue to me.”
The awarding of the player-of-the-year, young player, players’ player and goal-of-the-season trophies have been a traditional end to the season, regardless of whether the team have had success or failure on the pitch. This season hasn’t gone well.
The manager added: “We’re a professional club. A small percentage of any population gets to be a professional footballer.
“These boys have achieved so much. To be a professional footballer is unbelievable.
“To win an award and to be recognised for something, fair play. I want them to get their awards, of course, I do.
“We haven’t achieved what I wanted. I know we haven’t achieved what a lot of people wanted.
“It’s not an easy job being a professional footballer. It’s a great job. It’s the best job in the world, but it’s not easy. Managing is not easy either. They’re brilliant jobs.
“Nobody’s gone on that pitch to go, ‘You know what, I’m not going to play well today. I’m going to lose today’. Nobody. We’ve all tried to give our best, and it just hasn’t come up enough this season. That’s it. Hopefully, next season it will.
“The players deserve the plaudits for whatever they’ve won. If it’s the player-of-the-season, goal-of-the-season and whatever’s coming for them. Get behind them. Give them a round of applause.”
Gillingham FC Supporters’ Club have said that they will be handing out their awards before and after the warm-ups on Saturday ahead of the game against Shrewsbury.
