Having watched Gillingham for best part of thirty years, I’d like to know where the fans and atmosphere have gone?

Things have changed at Priestfield in recent years with numbers dwindling and noise levels down on what they used to be.

Not that I am complaining, I would just like to see the ground rocking like it once was.

The drop in attendances have to be a concern to the club, especially given that it is one of the primary sources of income for The Gills, but it’s the lack of atmosphere it produces on the day that concerns me most.

Priestfield has always been spoken of being a fortress by the manager of the day and opposing teams used to speak of coming to Gillingham with a sense of dread because of the noise eminating from the Rainham End.

Fans used to sing loud and proud from the Rainham End. They still do to a certain extent, but not like how it used to be.

Can we blame them though? Is there enough to sing about in recent seasons?

Unquestionably form and atmosphere go hand in hand. It’s just a case of which comes first like the chicken and the egg.

Players always mention how important it is that the fans get behind their team and that inspires them to play better, whilst fans will always tell you that they get behind their team if they are playing well and giving their all on the pitch.

So how do you restore the atmosphere back at Priestfield? Surely the first step has to be to get more people in the ground in the first place. Numbers watching the Gills has dropped in the past couple of seasons with just 4,676 at the ground on Saturday to watch the 1-1 draw with Port Vale.

With a capacity of 11,582, that means over half the ground is empty on any given day. Last season the FA Cup game with Dover Athletic saw 7,475 attend the game, the season before saw 10,304 come to the league game with Charlton Athletic and the FA Cup tie with Aston Villa in January 2009 saw 10,107 in Priestfield.

It shows given the right opposition fans will come to support the side with an estimated 30,000 Gills fans travelling to Wembley to watch the play-off final win over Shrewsbury Town in May 2009.

What can’t be disputed is that fans are finding that they are having to pick and choose which games they go to, especially the away ones with the cost of tickets, fuel and food not getting any cheaper.

Gillingham are one of the best, if not the best supported team away from home in League Two with over 750 making the trip to AFC Wimbledon with hundreds following their side up and down the land in all weather and no matter who the opposition are.

Can opposing sides make the same claim? Port Vale brought 201 to Priestfield on Saturday and that has to have some effect on the atmosphere around the ground. Gone are the days when fans battled to outsing one another with banter flying back and forth across the hallowed turf.

For me, the answer lies in the cost of tickets with the future of the club in the long run resting on the shoulders of kids across Kent.

Charlton had a deal just a few weeks ago to watch the game with Chesterfield for just a fiver. For that kind of money a family of four can have a day out at the football for just £20.

Gillingham have to be commended for charging just £6 for kids 11 and under if you book in advance, but adults can expect to pay at least £17 in advance with matchday prices going up to as much as £26 a ticket.

Whatever the soultion to the problem, I will still be there, supporting MY team, through thick and thin.