Gills new signing James Brophy said the values and characteristics of manager Gareth Ainsworth were a huge factor in signing a two-year contract at MEMS Priestfield Stadium.
The 31-year-old won promotion with Cambridge United last season before departing the Abbey and, following a conversation with the Gills boss, he was keen to get a deal over the line.
Brophy becomes the club’s first signing of the summer, and he is looking forward to getting started.
He said: “I am really excited and really happy. As soon as I met Gareth I had a good conversation with him. I found him really relatable, really genuine and after that chat it was kind of set in my mind that Gillingham was high on my list of places I wanted to go to.
“For me as a player it’s important to sign for a manager really and, having met a few over the course of the off season, Gareth definitely stood out to me and impressed me with how he communicated, his values, his characteristics, and was someone that I saw who I could play for, and would want to play for.
“I am not getting any younger and I have been fortunate enough to play a lot of games and feel like I still have a lot of years left in me.
“We had a good season just gone, with Cambridge, achieving promotion and being successful and that was important for me to look for a club with that ambition as the next step, and I think that one is definitely here.”
Brophy is happy to have got his moved sorted early which will help his family settle prior to pre-season taking place.
He added: “We have two little ones, our life is surrounded by Football and we have to make a lot of sacrifices for this line of work and I think in order for me to be successful as an individual and then help the team as much as I can, I think it is important for me to get settled earlier.
“Delaying it any longer or eating into pre-season only has a negative impact on next season.
“It helps us move, helps us settle in quicker, and helps find a routine in order for me to give the best that I can.”
The player will now enjoy a break before taking in some World Cup games and then switching full focus into gaining fitness ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
“We haven’t had a holiday yet so I am taking my kids to Disneyland next week," he added. "We then go to Morocco for a couple of weeks. We are back in the middle of June to make sure I am in tip top condition for pre-season.
“I still enjoy watching Football and supporting our country. Fingers crossed we can be successful. My partner is Argentinian so I have a hat in both rings this summer. That increases the chances of us being happy at the house!”
Brophy says the fans can expect a player that gives it everything they have from the first whistle to last.
He added: “I am direct; I like to be positive on the pitch, I like to help create goals and I like to help the team be better and I think I contribute to that and I think you are going to get someone that you know gives everything they can while on the pitch.
“I think you have to have a squad with a various skill set that covers all the bases. What you have to drive into, and that probably comes from the leadership and culture of the place, is a set of values that are ambitious that replicate being successful.”
A video interview with James can be seen here.
