Exclusive: Determined Dack Hopes 2025 is the Year to Make Gillingham Impact

Bradley Dack has had his fair share of injury problems that have stunted his blossoming career.

But the ambitious midfielder hopes to turn a corner in 2025 and help Gillingham win promotion.

The former Blackburn Rovers and Sunderland playmaker rejoined boyhood club Gillingham in August after his one-year deal with the Black Cats came to an end.

Although the 30-year-old has struggled with injuries so far on his return to the Priestfield Stadium, Dack is confident he can a successful ‘second coming’ at a club he holds dear to his hear.

“Hopefully I can play a huge part,” Dack told SportsBoom.com. 

“I’ve made no secret, one of the reasons I’ve come back is to try and help get the club promoted and get out of the league this season."

“I think that’s everyone’s goal, it’s the club and the players’ goal to take us a league."

“I feel like we’ve got the players to do, hopefully I can contribute as much as I can with goals and assists."

“And hopefully I can make my experience count because I’ve been there and done it (achieved promotion) a couple of times before."

“Hopefully I can pass that experience on to the younger lads and help show them what it takes and what we need to do to get over the line."

“It’s all well and good having good players, a good set-up and a good manager, but getting promoted is still a very hard thing to do."

“It’s tough. People talk about when you have the best team you should automatically go up, but it doesn’t work like that."

“You have to work hard, be selfless and think about the team. That’s what I want to do.”

MEMORABLE PROMOTION

Dack started his career with the Gills having graduated through the club’s youth system.

He enjoyed five seasons in League One with the club and made 185 appearances during that five-year period between 2012-2017.

Gills won promotion in Dack’s first season in 2012 and, after catching the eye of a number of clubs, he got a big move to Blackburn Rovers in 2017 and helped the club win promotion back to the Championship.

 “I had great success at Blackburn and had promotion in my first season in League One, then really building on that in the two years in the Championship,” reflected Dack.

“But then I got injured when my goal then was to try and go into the Premier League."

“At the time, when I did my knee, we felt that was a real option at that time."

“It’s been really difficult and hard to take, but unfortunately injuries are part of football and I was just unlucky it happened to me on that occasion.”

 “But, 100 per cent, promotions are what you remember when you finish your career."

“It’s about making those memories, it’s something to look back on."

“I remember my first promotion with Gillingham 12 years ago. We still have a group chat with all the players and we still talk about that season."

“We talk about what we achieved, how good the group was and how special it was."

“That’s something that really appealed to me, I’d love to have that feeling again."

“I remember chatting to my agent at the time and saying it would be nice to achieve another promotion."

“There were a few League One teams interested in me but they were not going to be at the top of the league, they were mid-table teams respectively, so I thought I’d rather go and play in a team that is challenging at the top.”

Although another hamstring injury has limited Dack’s involvement so far, the Gills are sitting in a healthy ninth position in League Two and confident they can mount a concerted promotion charge in the new year.

“There’s some backroom staff still at the club from when I first played for them,” added Dack.

“And the head of the Academy (Bryan Bull), who brought me through as a 15-year-old, he’s still in that job."

“He’s been there for years. He brought through Luke Freeman, Luke Rooney, myself and Jack Tucker."

“It’s always been a family-orientated club, people stay in their jobs there for a long time there because they really enjoy it."

“It’s nice, it feels familiar come back.”