This afternoon, Gillingham have confirmed the appointment of Mark Bonner as their new manager on a two-year deal, it has been officially announced.
The 38-year-old was in charge of League Two side Cambridge United for three years and won promotion to League One in the 2020/21 season after finishing second in the fourth tier. His attacking football helped the club to finish with 73 goals scored in an impressive campaign.
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Across his stint with the U’s, Bonner managed 199 games in total, while also guiding them to the fourth round of the FA Cup in January 2022 following a win against Premier League outfit Newcastle United in the third round.
Bonner lost his job as head coach at Cambridge United following a run of three defeats, including a 3-0 loss to Lincoln City and a 5-0 thrashing suffered at the hands of bitter rivals Peterborough United. One of the first things on the agenda for the new boss will be sorting through the club’s retained and released list which hasn’t yet been published.
The Gills finished in 12th position in League Two this season after a poor end to the campaign which saw them win just one game from their final five matches. Former boss Stephen Clemence, who had only been in the job since November 2023 after the dismissal of Neil Harris, paid the ultimate price by losing his job last week and the club have moved swiftly to appoint Bonner.
Speaking in a club statement announcing Bonner’s arrival, Managing Director Joe Comper said:
“We are thrilled that Mark has agreed to join us. He has the experience to get us where we want to go. We were specifically looking for a leader with direct experience playing successfully in League 2. We were also looking for someone who had promoted a team out of the League and had the skills to build that sort of ambitious culture.”
On his appointment at Priestfield Stadium, Bonner added:
“I am delighted to join Gillingham and can’t wait to get started as Manager, as we get to work on preparing for the new season and building a team that supporters enjoy watching and a culture that the players love being part of.
“I have to thank Brad and Shannon [Galinson] for this opportunity and look forward to working closely with them, Joe, and Kenny to achieve the ambitions of the Football Club.”
Writer’s View
Bonner knows what he is doing, having already been promoted from the fourth division with Cambridge United so the Gills will be hoping he can replicate that next season. The young coach will want to make Gillingham a tough side to beat after they conceded 57 goals this season.
Some of the club’s supporters were shocked to see Clemence leave but with the drop off towards the end of the season, something had to change. This feels like a low-risk appointment that could well work out for all parties involved.
