Gillingham defender Sam Gale believes he’s ready to make an impact in the Football League after learning his trade out on loan.
Gale, 20, was a surprise starter at Grimsby on Tuesday night, making his third appearance for the Gills, under a third different manager.
The central defender made his senior Gills debut as a 16-year-old during an injury crisis under Steve Evans’ stewardship in November 2021. It took three years for him to play again in the Football League, making his first league start at AFC Wimbledon in late December under former boss Mark Bonner.
A month on from that game he looked comfortable in the heart of defence against Grimsby on Tuesday night, as John Coleman brought him in from the cold.
Gale’s had to be patient for his chance to impress and credits the clubs who have taken him on loan, Sheppey United, Hastings United and Chelmsford City, for preparing him for life as a pro.
Gale said: “It’s been a long road, to be honest, a lot of time away from Gillingham, plying my trade with late nights, training with loan teams, coming back in the morning, especially when I was a scholar, to do my education.
“I’ll be honest, (there were) a lot of months and years where I thought ‘am I ever really going to get to a position where I’m going to be able to help the team and play a part?’
“I can’t credit those (loan) clubs enough. I’ve been really fortunate. I’ve played under three brilliant managers.
“It started with Jack Midson at Sheppey and then I went to Hastings, playing under Chris Agutter last year, who’s now flying with Worthing and this season I’ve played under Robbie Simpson at Chelmsford. Three different styles of management but I’ve learned so much.
“All those clubs have been brilliant, from the fans, the people around the club. You really learn what it’s like to play for three points so when I came back here and I’m suddenly in the changing room, it means a lot because I’ve had to work hard to get into this position.
“It’s an amazing feeling to potentially walk out there on Saturday, starting or coming off the bench, or whatever it is. I don’t take that for granted. This is a massive club.
“I tell all the young lads in the under-18s when I talk to them, ‘get yourself out on loan, play games – it is the best thing for you’.
“The club’s been brilliant for me. They’ve never held me back, never said: ’Oh no, you need to stay around to stay in and around the group’. The loans have been brilliant.
“I think I really needed to ply my trade in non-league and learn how to deal with some of those big, horrible strikers who are there about 35 and they’ll elbow you all day.
“I felt that buzz of playing in front of a crowd at Sheppey. I felt at home. I’m someone who loves a challenge and loves the physicality, so in that sense, it wasn’t daunting at all. I actually really thrived.
“That’s where I really got a taste. I was like, ‘right, this is for me. I’m going to make it at whatever level it be. I’m going to play football’. When I first got that taste at Sheppey, smashing into people who are almost twice my age, some of them, it was brilliant. I loved it.
“Some players might need to be nurtured a little bit more and kept away from the men’s game for a bit longer. I can’t credit the club enough for the route they’ve pushed me down and people around me who help and advise me. They have really given me the right path.”
Gale started out at Arsenal as a junior, from under-9s to 12s, before being released and shortly afterwards joining Gillingham, where he progressed through the academy.
He was still a first-year scholar when he came off the bench to play Cheltenham and make his debut.
He said: “I remember the team was ravaged with injuries, really, and I kind of got an opportunity. It wasn’t really earned through performance.
“I’d done well, but it wasn’t something I was ready for. It was an amazing moment for me and I just looked at it as a free hit but you never really forget your debut.
“I came on for the last five minutes. The club was in a bad place. We weren’t doing well in the league and we had a lot of injuries.
“I got a taste of the environment and what was expected and how people carried themselves around the first-team environment. In that sense, I got a taste of it. But playing-wise, I still felt like I was a long way from being able to affect the Gillingham first-team.”
It was in June 2023 that he signed professionally for the Gills after completing his youth scholarship. He’d been at Sheppey and in November of that year went to Hastings, enjoying both spells.
He started this season at Chelmsford City, in National League South, and was a key member of the team before being recalled.
A chance to play again for the Gills came at Wimbledon.
He said: “I actually felt more nervous for the Wimbledon game because years ago I thought ‘I’m not ready for this, so let’s just enjoy it’ whereas the Wimbledon game, I felt ready.
“I felt the pressure on myself and prove that those years where I’d gone away and plied my trade in non-league and done all the learning I needed to. I really felt the pressure to prove that I’d earned the spot.”
Tuesday’s game at Grimsby was going well, winning 1-0, looking assured alongside captain Max Ehmer, but Gale began to cramp up in the final minutes of a game that was extended due to a medical emergency in the crowd.
Gale had to sit and watch from the bench as Grimsby hit back with a stoppage time equaliser.
He said: “We controlled the whole game really. We felt comfortable. It’s just really disappointing that we couldn’t quite get over the line but it’s definitely something to build on.
“I was angry at myself for not being able to get through the 90. I think the fan stoppage just killed me a little bit. My calves went but it was my first 90 in two months.
“I think the more I get into a rhythm of playing, and hopefully playing week in, week out, it will become second nature and then I’ll really be able to settle down and show my true qualities.
“ I think I’ve done well in the games I’ve played but I think there’s a lot more to come from me.”
The Gills are looking to add more defensive cover in the coming days of the transfer widow and Gale, who’s from Sevenoaks, may have to bide his time again but he’s loved every minute playing for the club.
He said: “I’ve had tastes of it here and there, and then kind of gone away for periods of time, but the goal every year has always been to go away and come back ready to play and I finally feel like I am.
“I thrive off being around the lads every day. It’s such a good environment to be in and learn.
“I was thinking the other night that if my career ended tomorrow, I’ve made an appearance for this club. Obviously, I don’t want it to end tomorrow, but it’s an honour every time.
“I feel the weight of the badge in a good way. This club means everything to me. I’ve come through this club and how this club looks in the future, after I’m done playing, matters to me. It’s a massive honour.”
Gale’s not the only one in the family with a blossoming football career.
Younger sister Jessie Gale plays as a striker for Arsenal under-21s and is currently on loan at Southern Premier Division side Watford, playing in the third tier of the women’s game. She’s also been part of the England under-19 set-up.
“A lot of our childhood was growing up smashing each other to pieces in the garden,” joked the older sibling.
“She’s quite a late one, in the sense where she played for Charlton but never really dedicated herself to football until maybe a year or two ago. She’s reaping the benefits right now. She’s doing really well.
“I’m always trying to tell her what defenders don’t like. I can’t claim she really listens sometimes.”
It’s not just his sister who he is trying to educate. The youngster is currently working towards a UEFA B coaching licence and on Sundays takes charge of Sevenoaks Town under-14s who play in the Kent Youth League.
“Me and my mate do it together and I really enjoy that,” Gale said.
“It actually helps my footballing side because I look at it from both views, a player’s point of view and a manager’s point of view. I really enjoy that side of football as well.
“Learning off managers is massive for me. Football’s not forever, playing-wise, but management can be a much longer career.
“The Gaffer and Jimmy (Bell, the assistant) have been there and done it and they’ve had an incredible career, so it’s not just learning from them as a player, learning from them how they coach is really key for me as well.”
Looking ahead to this Saturday’s game against Notts County, Gale said: “It’s been a while since we’ve won.
“We want to do it for the manager. We want to do it for the fans. We want to do it for the club, everyone that backs us, the support staff. They give us everything, so we need to give them everything.
“Wins are needed, hopefully starting Saturday.
“This club is underachieving. We should be higher and we know that.
“Hopefully I’m involved. If I’m not, I’ll support the lads. I’ll help them prepare however I can.
“There’s a real togetherness. It might not look like it with the results, but it’s a team where we want everyone to do well, no matter who’s playing.
“Obviously, if we can do the double over Notts County, a massive club like them, it’s a statement.
“It’s a statement that Gillingham are probably back on the track that we should be.
“It’s a great chance to really lay a mark down to the rest of the league and say we’re going to be back on our game.”
