BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN’S classic song Born In The USA belted out at Gillingham as American owner Brad Galinson and his family greeted fans for the first time since his takeover.
And supporters are now excited their club are going to be Reborn In The USA after Paul Scally ended his 28 years at the helm.
There was quite an atmosphere on Saturday at a sold-out Priestfield, which has been their home since the club were formed 126 years ago, as they took on Premier League side Leicester in the FA Cup.
And as I wandered the streets around the ground, venturing into local bars and cafes, I witnessed genuine excitement and optimism among fans.
You would never have thought they were supporting a club that were rock bottom of the entire EFL, had not won a league game for more than THREE months and scored just SEVEN goals all season.
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Their proud 103-year EFL status is on the line, which if lost would be a disaster for Kent football as the only League club in the county.
Former Millwall and Cardiff boss Neil Harris took over last season when they were joint bottom of League One, 10 points adrift of safety, and agonisingly got relegated on goal difference after an upturn in form.
No-one at the club envisaged fighting for their EFL lives halfway through this season.
But property tycoon Galinson has pledged to splash the cash this month to bring in the attacking players to get them out of trouble and then “awake this giant.”
Harris told me: “They’d just lost 10 of their previous 12 games when I came in but I knew there was a challenge, something to build and that there was potential once the new owner took over.
“Even though we got relegated, the second half of the season was a success because we galvanised the place. There was positivity going into the new season.
“Then we realised it might be a struggle to compete with teams in League Two. You will be amazed how much players cost at this level, inflated by the huge amount of money being spent in the National League.
“I didn’t envisage us being bottom of the Football League but, even during what has been a difficult five months, I realised as soon as the new owner came in the club would be transformed.”
Galinson completed his takeover two days before Christmas and has wasted little time in shaking things up.
He has bought prolific striker Tom Nicholls from Crawley and recruited former Watford, Millwall, Wolves, Portsmouth and Swansea boss Kenny Jackett as director of football.
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While Gills legend Andy Hessenthaler, who guided them to a club-record high 11th in the Championship as player-manager in 2003, has been appointed head of recruitment.
With Harris this forms a formidable management team.
Harris said: “Those two appointments are huge. They not only have a wealth of experience but are two guys who are my friends.
“I played for Kenny at Millwall and he became my mentor when I went into management while I played with Andy here at Gillingham.
“When I arrived, there had been discussions about improving the infrastructure. It’s been so tough during my first 11 months — but now is the real start for this club.
“The beauty of the timing of the takeover is the transfer window is open and we must bring in players to support what we’ve got. That was the project I bought into when I took over last January. We’re several months behind where I wanted to be but there’s now a lot of hope moving forward.”
There is always understandable scepticism about the motives of a foreign investor taking over a club, especially at League Two level, but Harris believes Galinson has integrity and will get things done.
He said: “I’ve spent extensive time with Brad and his wife Shannon. They’re both good human beings and great business people.
“They wanted to invest in a club. And it wasn’t about whether the team was top or bottom, it was where they could see quick gains. I don’t mean financially but infrastructure wise — something they could build over time. Gillingham ticked so many boxes. It has an opportunity to grow.
“They understand money buys infrastructure as well as quality players and staff. They’re in it for the right reasons — and the fanbase should be so proud to have them here.”
But Harris has one immediate priority — to preserve Gillingham’s League status and avoid becoming yet another historically-proud and illustrious club to join the likes of Notts County, Wrexham, Oldham, Scunthorpe and Southend in the National League.
And he knows he needs to start winning matches fast.
He said: “I accept that. I know the restraints I’ve worked under and the capabilities of the club. I’ve earned the right to have this opportunity to be part of this exciting project.
"But my future as manager will be decided by results now.
“We need to get players higher up the pitch to help us score goals and win matches. Expected goals for and against is a big statistic we use nowadays. Our expected goals to chances ratio is the worst in the league while we don’t concede many chances but the ball ends up hitting our net more often than it should.
“It won’t be hard to sell our club to players because they’ll know scoring is our biggest problem and that’s what we’re looking to improve to get this club up the table.”
