Why Dack’s winning goal meant so much

Bradley Dack scored his first Gillingham goal for eight years on Saturday – and admitted it meant more than all of them. Dack’s last Gills goal came in a 2-1 win at Bury in March 2017 during his first spell at the club. But the fact he’s had to wait until April in his first season back at Priestfield underlines the frustration felt by the 31-year-old.

“It means an awful lot, it means everything,” said Dack after his winner against MK Dons in League 2 on Saturday. “I've come through here from a young age and scored a lot of goals out there but that one probably means more than all of them. “To come back and not have the season that I envisaged, some through a fault of my own, some not, it's amazing to give the fans a win in the 95th minute.



“I guess it's just pure elation, relief. There's a lot of emotions that kind of go into it. The main one is obviously just happiness.

“To score a goal in front of the Rainham End, in front of the club that I come through as a kid, is an indescribable feeling, but just an indescribably good one. “You kind of get lost in the moment. Nothing else matters.

You just want to celebrate with all your team-mates and to hear the roar is incredible.” Dack revealed he considers himself to have been fit since December but never got a regular chance under former boss John Coleman. He played 90 minutes just once – in the 1-1 draw at Tranmere – but played just an additional combined total of 207 minutes.

“Things didn't work out under the last manager, for me personally,” said Dack. “There were reasons why, yes. I won't divulge them.

We disagreed on certain things and sometimes you can't get on with everyone. “That was a disappointing three or four months for me, feeling like I could make a big impact in the team. I wasn't obviously given a chance to.

“I've been fit for the best part of or since the start of December. I won't get onto stuff that's gone on at the football club, but it's been difficult for everyone. “Hopefully, this is a new start and we can finish these last four games off nicely and go into next year on a real high.

” Dack also claimed his winner against MK Dons was his 100th career goal. Now he’s set his sights on reaching that tally with league goals. “I think that’s 100 career goals because I scored one when on loan at Braintree,” said Dack.

“It's an amazing achievement. It's been a long time coming since I scored for Sunderland against Southampton last year and I think that took me to 99. It’s nice to finally get there.

“I want to get to 100 league goals, that's the aim. I feel like I can do it.” Dack got on the end of a Conor Masterson header back across goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time before taking a touch and volleying in from close range.

He admitted that time stands still in such moments. “It goes slow,” explained Dack. “You can see everything going through your head.

“You don't want to rush it because it looks easy but you know the time in the game and you've got a little bit of time to think about it. “It's about not rushing it, being composed and just making sure you find the net and then the rest takes care of itself. “It's an instinct thing.

I think I've kind of had that my whole career, being in the right place at the right time in the box - something I've built my career on. “It's something you probably can't really teach. It's just an instinct and see where the ball's going to drop.

”.