We spoke to Gills fan Lewis Browning ahead to tomorrow’s fixture against Steve Evans’ men...
Gillingham are 18th in the league. Are you happy with how things are going?
Not really, but I think it was to be expected. Our squad is a bit weaker this year than last year and the league is also harder, and that’s not a good formula. In Steve Evans’ two years at the club though, things have tended to pick up in the second halves of the season and I expect it will be the same this year.
How did your summer transfer window go? Did you bring in or sell any big players?
Our squad was weakened, which has unfortunately become a common occurrence. We have managed to pick up a few gems on frees over the last few years and we’re starting to lose them. Jordan Graham was arguably our star player last year but we could only secure him on a one-year deal and he left for the Championship. Connor Ogilvie spent four years with us and I believe he developed into one of the best left backs in the league, and he left for Portsmouth. Dominic Samuel also left but I assume he was on a decent wage and was released.
We managed to keep hold of 20-goal forward Vadaine Oliver and captain Kyle Dempsey, but I imagine they will be off soon. Academy graduate Jack Tucker, too. Unfortunately, that’s the way.
We made some decent signings - I think we’ve improved in goal with Jamie Cumming in on loan from Chelsea and also at centre back with Max Ehmer returning. The forward areas are weaker though and it’s proved to be an issue.
Who’s been your best player this season?
It’s tough but I’ll go Jamie Cumming. Oliver and Dempsey are yet to hit the heights of last year and not many of the new signings have hit the ground running. Cumming came in to compete with Aaron Chapman in many fans’ eyes, but he’s nailed the number one spot now and has produced some outstanding performances. He’s still learning and is very young, but his shot stopping is second to none and his communication is improving every week too.
Which Sunderland player worries you the most?
Ross Stewart is obviously the top scorer for Sunderland so he’s one to be wary off but I think Aiden McGeady is still the man. A friend of mine is very big on him and I think his quality is undeniable; he’s still producing late into his career. I’m also a big admirer of Luke O’Nien.
What’s your score prediction for the match?
I can’t see a Gillingham win. Things will turn around for us I’m sure, but our recent form has been poor and this is probably the toughest game we could ask for right now. Being at home will help us, but I will go for a 3-1 Sunderland win.
Who will score?
Vadaine Oliver will be hungry after his penalty miss last week, but I think Kyle Dempsey will be on the scoresheet for Gillingham. For Sunderland, I’ll go Stewart with two and McGeady with one. Sunderland will be hungry to bounce back after the Portsmouth result.
And where will the two teams finish this season?
I would be very surprised if Sunderland didn’t go up. There are a lot of big teams in League One so it won’t be easy but I think this is finally their year. I’ll put them second behind Wigan in the final table. For Gillingham I think it depends if Evans sees out the year. I mentioned that our squad is weaker and the league is harder, so it will be hard to improve on the 10th-place finishes of the last two years. I will go bang in the middle with 12th.
