Mark Bonner has stated that 2025 will be the year that Bradley Dack hopefully kicks on at Gillingham after yet another injury setback.
He has played just an hour of football since arriving in Kent this summer from Sunderland, featuring against Barrow as a substitute in League Two and an additional EFL Trophy game against Peterborough United. The 30-year-old is now out with a hamstring injury which will likely set him back for another month.
Injury problems have plagued his recent career, having both of his Anterior Cruciate Ligaments tear within the space of a year whilst at Blackburn Rovers. He reunited with former manager Tony Mowbray for the Black Cats but a hamstring injury meant he only notched 17 appearances for the club.
Speaking to the press ahead of Gillingham’s League Two game against Accrington Stanley, Mark Bonner discussed the striker’s injury. He said (Quotes via Kent Online): “He’s got a little bit of an issue in his hamstring so he’s probably going to be four weeks before we can get him back out (training).
“Every time we’ve tried something, it’s not quite worked. It’s just going to take time.
“Being honest, I probably thought all along that 2025 was the year for him and it’s going to be that until hopefully we can really see the best of him and get him going.
“It was always going to be a slow burner, he needs training, he needs time, he needs opportunities to fix certain issues in his body and we need to just work with him on that.
“We just have to accept that he needs time.”
Dack started his career at Priestfield, where he made 185 appearances and contributed to their 2012/13 League Two title win. He was bought by Rovers in 2017 and made 173 appearances, scoring 57 times and had been rumoured to be subject to an eight-figure bid by West Bromwich Albion before his first ACL injury.
Elsewhere in the Gills squad, Robbie McKenzie is being assessed following a knock he picked up against Crewe Alexandra, whilst Conor Masterson, Aaron Rowe and Josh Andrews are expected to miss the game with their own issues. Everyone else who featured in the squad that lost away at Gresty Road is likely to feature again this weekend.
Writer’s View
Bradley Dack was brought to Gillingham after a few injury issues in previous seasons so for him to be out for another spell is a blow. He is undoubtedly a very talented forward as seen during his spell at Blackburn and if he can remain fit would be a brilliant focal point for the Kent side’s attack. Even without him they are competing at the top of League Two and are only out of first place on goals scored. Should he have a long enough stint where he can play regularly then they will have one of the best forwards in the fourth tier.
They welcome Accrington Stanley to Priestfield this weekend, with the Lancashire side finally picking up their first win this season over Morecambe. On paper this should be a solid victory for the Gills, but League Two is one of the most unpredictable leagues. Dara Costelloe has hit a run of form in their two most recent matches, so Mark Bonner has to limit his influence on the game and victory would be on the horizon. Gillingham have lost their last two games against Grimsby Town and Crewe and a fixture against 23rd in the league is an easy chance to put a stop to that run before it becomes a trend.
Football journalist with The Real EFL since 2023. A 2024 Multimedia Journalism graduate from the University of Salford, Lewis specialises in Salford City FC and EFL coverage.
