Gillingham midfielder Ethan Coleman is determined to make up for lost time as he targets a strong return to fitness ahead of the new season.
The 25-year-old saw his 2025/26 campaign cut short after suffering an Achilles injury during the closing weeks of the campaign, but he has spent the summer working hard on his recovery and is hopeful of joining in fully with pre-season as soon as possible.
Coleman picked up the injury during the Gills’ defeat against MK Dons and immediately knew something was wrong.
“It felt like someone had kicked me,” he said. “I looked behind and nobody was there and that’s when you know there’s an issue.”
While many players have enjoyed a complete break since the end of the season, Coleman has had little opportunity to switch off as he focuses on getting himself back to full fitness.
Despite keeping one eye on his recovery programme, the combative midfielder still found time to enjoy a memorable break with his partner in America.
“In that time I was still working hard on my rehab,” he said. “It’s all good but you can’t completely switch off when you’re injured.
“You have to be in and out of the club over the summer to try and get back as quickly as possible. You want to jump into pre-season with the boys.”
On his trip to the States, he added: “We spent a week in Miami and ended up in a hotel full of referees who were there for the World Cup.
“I didn’t enjoy being around that many referees! I told the missus we needed to get out of there. It was a great trip, though.”
Coleman knows better than most the value of a full pre-season after missing large parts of one two years ago.
“That really made me realise how much you need one, not only for fitness but for sharpness,” he said. “It makes a massive difference.
“When you’re injured and you’re not out there with the boys training, there is a part of you that feels left out. It’s massively important, mentally, to be fit and, obviously, physically right going into the season.”
Although he expects the opening stages of this pre-season to be carefully managed, Coleman is optimistic about his progress.
“Potentially the first couple of weeks might be a bit more restrictive in terms of what I can do. Hopefully, after that I’ll be 100 per cent.” he said.
“We’re working on seeing what level my Achilles can get to by the time it comes around. Because it is pre-season, there’s not a particularly massive rush, but you want to be at it, you don’t want to get left behind.”
Like supporters, Coleman is eagerly awaiting the new League 2 fixtures – released next Thursday – and is excited by the prospect of a fresh start following a difficult campaign.
“Last season was tough for everyone at the club but we have to bounce back from it, put it all behind us and go again this year,” he said.
The 26-year-old reached 100 league appearances for the Gills last term, a milestone he admits gave him plenty of pride after three-and-a-half years at Priestfield.
“I enjoy my football here,” he said. “Not many players stay at one club for a long period these days, so I was really pleased with that on a personal note.
“Half the changing room is getting flipped and I’m looking forward to going into a new season, meeting the new lads coming in and seeing what we can do.”
Competition for places in midfield is likely to be fierce, with Robbie McKenzie, Armani Little, Nelson Khumbeni, new signing Zane Albarus and Cameron Antwi among those battling for opportunities.
Coleman believes the quality already in the squad, together with the new arrivals, can help Gillingham challenge much higher up the table.
“We have a lot of good boys and I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
“Robbie [McKenzie] has got another year. Harry Waldock was breaking into the team and I’m pleased for him, Sulli Booth as well.
“We’ve still got Armani Little and I hope we can improve together.
“Cameron Antwi showed glimpses before he got injured. He’s a tidy player, a good technician and a good player to have in the squad.”
After last season’s disappointment, Coleman is clear about the target for the campaign ahead.
“We’ll definitely be looking to hit the play-offs this year,” he said. “That’s the target. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen last year, but this year we’ll target the top seven.”
Coleman also believes continuity can be a key to success and feels manager Gareth Ainsworth can benefit from having had time to put his own stamp on the squad.
Drawing a comparison with the Premier League champions, he added: “I’m an Arsenal fan and [manager] Mikel Arteta was given five or six years, he was always at the top end of the league and it’s important for managers to get that time, time to build a squad and work with the players.
“I was so happy when they won the league, I was in America at the time. It was only my missus and me – she’s not particularly a football fan – I was screaming and shouting in the car and she couldn’t understand it!”
