Stephen Clemence: Gillingham sack head coach after six months

League Two side Gillingham have parted company with head coach Stephen Clemence after almost six months in charge.

The Gills, who finished 12th in the table, said in a statement that results have “not met the standards and expectations set by the club”.

“The board believe a change is necessary to give the club the best possible chance of gaining promotion next season,” the statement said., external

Clemence, 46, was appointed in November 2023 with the club eighth in the division.

He won 12 of his 34 games in charge as Gillingham missed out on the play-offs by six points.

Assistant head coach Robbie Stockdale has also left the club.

“We have been met with a really difficult decision,” managing director Joe Comper said.

“We are impatient to achieve success for the supporters, and feel that our best chance of having that success is by making a change at this point.”

Having been seventh and in the play-off places with five games remaining this term, Gillingham took only four points from those matches to miss out.

Their 12th-placed finish this season sees them remain in the fourth tier for a third consecutive campaign.

The Gills sacked previous head coach Neil Harris in October after he joined in January 2022.

They were relegated from League One in 2022 and have previously been as high as the Championship.

“We now begin the process of appointing a successor,” director of football, Kenny Jackett said.

“We will be looking to make an appointment as quickly as possible, so the new management team can form an integral part of the squad building process straight away.”