Gillingham’s latest financial figures reveal why chairman Paul Scally is so keen to bring in some outside investment.

The Gills announced a modest pre-tax profit in their accounts for the year ending May 31, 2017.

Mr Scally said: “It’s always good to post a profit, it is slight, but at least it is not a loss. There aren’t many clubs in the country that make a profit and over the last 23 years we have only made losses on a handful of occasions.

“Of course it does very much rely on us trading players, doing extraordinary deals and that is unfortunately the nature of lower league football, to survive. That is the reason I am constantly seeking investment and looking for partners to take us forward so that we don’t have to sell players.

“The problem is that in the world of League 1 and League 2 football, without assistance or additional investment, it is very difficult and a constant battle to manage the expectations of the fans and everyone within the club while keeping it sustainable going forward.”

The accounts cover the 2016/17 season, a challenging one for Mr Scally, who was battling former caterers Centerplate for compensation and recovering from a major health scare.

Mr Scally had open heart surgery in November 2016, a year in which the club narrowly avoided relegation from League 1 on the final day of the season.

He said: “It was very difficult in many respects, mentally and physically.

“We came out of it as we should have done, we were completely right in what we did (to pursue Centerplate in the courts) and we were vindicated in the judgement.

“I wished more fans realised that what happens on a pitch on a Saturday is not the entire story of what goes on in the football club. It is an important part of the story but the work going on behind the scenes to make that happen is colossal in most instances.”

The Gills managed to revive their conferencing and banqueting department, revealing a £1m turnover, a figure which Mr Scally hopes to double.

He said: “We started from a position where the catering part of the business was pretty damaged, sales were down and there was a significant amount of bad feeling from people that had been using the facility.

“If you come from that background, every credit must go to the team who have pulled together and started to turn it around. The (financial) year to May 2018 will show even further improvement in that area. We are still confident we can get up nearer to the £2m mark in the next year or two.”

Turnover at the club in total was over £6m and Mr Scally insists that they can only spend what they bring in.

He said: “There is a myth out there with a minority of fans that somehow I have got stashes of money I can keep chucking at the club and that has never been the case.

“It is unfortunate because when things aren’t going right, in all football clubs, it is always the chairman’s fault. It is a joint effort this business and if the fans get behind the team and the team do well then more fans come in and get behind them. It is either an upward or downward spiral.”

Mr Scally is still pursuing the investment he feels is needed to take the club to another level, on and off the field. He was in the US earlier this summer meeting potential backers and was back in the Middle East this week.

He said: “We are at the top of the hill and if we can get over it then I think we have a very good future because we have got so many facilities we want to generate more income from, for instance, The Factory, we need a bit more investment there to finish it and then we know we can open it five or six days a week.

“We want to put more investment into the banqueting and conferencing and we know that will produce dividends going forward and add more to the pot.

“We just need that bit of investment, some more investment into the first team squad and who knows what could happen? I have got lots of interest from lots of areas. It is about moving forward on the interest and trying to turn that into a reality, that is what I am doing.”

One area the club have been looking to improve is the ticketing, with plans to bring in ‘e-tickets’, enabling fans to make purchases and access the stadium electronically.

Asked if it will be ready for the start of the season, Mr Scally said: “We are not sure, it probably won’t be so we are printing manual hard copy of books and tickets. If it is not in by the start of the season it will be in some time shortly after.”

Fans should at least have their replica shirts in time for the big kick off, with those in transit on a ship that is sailing from Sri Lanka this week to the UK.

It’s been a busy summer for the Gills on the transfer front, with manager Steve Lovell brining in a number of new faces with the aim of being more competitive this season.

Mr Scally said: “The manager is happy and Steve seems to believe that the players he has brought in will be an improvement to what we had.

“I think it was right to change the team around a little bit. We have a very good squad and we are hopeful of one or two more signings before the season starts.”