Blackpool manager Steve Bruce issues Gillingham FC "hope" ahead of 2025-26 | OneFootball

Steve Bruce has revealed his hope that Gillingham can progress up the Football League

Gillingham legend and current Blackpool boss Steve Bruce has provided a positive verdict on the club’s direction and is excited to watch their progression.

The 64-year-old played over 200 games for the Gills at the start of his professional football career and it’s a club he remains incredibly fond of to this day.

Kent’s only professional club finished 17th in League Two this season, finding themselves in a perfect example of no man’s land, 12 points outside the play-offs and 14 clear of relegation.

Mark Bonner was dismissed as Gillingham boss in January after just eight months in charge, replaced by John Coleman, who had previously spent a decade with Accrington Stanley. However, in March, Coleman was gone, with Gareth Ainsworth appointed to fill his position.

“Somewhere higher” – Steve Bruce issues Gillingham FC hope

The Gills have now spent the last three seasons in the bottom tier of the Football League, but owner Brad Galinson has spoken about his desire to ‘wake the sleeping giant’.

Bruce hopes that his former club can continue in the right direction under Ainsworth and hopefully progress up the Football League.

“They are the only professional club in Kent, so they have got a big catchment area,” Bruce said, as per Kent Online.

“I will always be intrigued to see what sort of fanbase it would muster if it ever got up to the Championship, but I can understand where the owners are coming from.

“It has been sleeping for a long time. Let’s hope they can get somewhere higher up the pyramid.”

Gillingham were an important step in Steve Bruce’s illustrious career

Bruce joined the Gills as an apprentice after a number of north-east sides had rejected him, including Newcastle and Sunderland.

The club’s head of youth at the time, Bill ‘Buster’ Collins, converted Bruce from a midfielder to a centre-back, where he thrived and became a regular standout in Gillingham’s team.

He eventually moved to Norwich City in 1984 and three years later joined Manchester United. Bruce would go on to become a club legend at Old Trafford, where he would spend nine years, making over 400 appearances for the Red Devils.

Going on to win countless honours with United, including multiple Premier League and FA Cup titles, Bruce has been forever thankful for the chance Gillingham gave him during his formative years.

“Gillingham gave me a chance when I was a schoolboy – I ended up signing for Gillingham, 330 miles away from Newcastle, where I lived,” explained the Blackpool manager as per Kent Online.

“I couldn’t have gone any further away, and it was a special little club, which will always mean something to me.

“Bill Collins, the youth team manager at the time, was an inspiration that any young player needed to succeed. He was terrific with me, and I keep in touch with his family now.

“These are great memories and they’ll always be special to me.”

Bruce guided Blackpool to a ninth-place finish this season, after taking over from Neil Critchley in September 2024. He will be hoping the Tangerines can target the play-offs next term, whilst keeping a keen eye on the Gills' progress throughout the 2025/26 campaign.