Newly appointed Gillingham boss John Coleman insists his desire for success hasn’t diminished with age.

Coleman was introduced to the local media on Monday after agreeing to take on the challenge of turning around the club’s fortunes and winning promotion.

The 62-year-old enjoyed multiple promotions at former club Accrington and is thrilled to be getting the chance of pushing the Gills towards that same goal in League 2 this season.

He takes over a side low on confidence, in poor form and with three straight defeats behind them. The Gills head into the weekend sitting 14th in League 2 - 10 points off the play-off places.

“Opportunities are there to be taken,” said the new boss.

“The last thing I want to do is just come and have a jolly until the end of the season. I'd walk away, I'd get up now and walk out. It'd never be my style.

“I want to make a difference. I believe I can make a difference. I've got this burning ambition to win and I want people to join that vision as well and be part of it.

“I've done it many, many times. Myself and Jimmy (Bell, his assistant). We’ve been together in management, probably for 26 years. We've never, ever lost that desire to win and we'll do everything we can to.

“You've got to grab it with both hands. You know, life's not a dress rehearsal. You've got opportunities that you have to take.

“I'm at an age now where I believe that I've still got a lot to offer. I'm still a young man in an old body, really. I still feel as though I could do a job centre-forward!

“I've got a desire and this is a vehicle that can really go places.

“I've craved all my life to be successful. I was desperate to be a professional footballer, I didn't quite make that.

“I had a very successful non-league career. I was so driven to be a professional footballer and I didn't make it. I was still coming to terms with that when I was about 31, 32.

“Myself and Jimmy took a club (Accrington) from four leagues below where they are now. We had to do it ourselves and then to go professional, go full-time at Accrington, it was my dream come true.

“I remember my first (training) session. I was qualifying to be a teacher so I had to do my final month as a teacher. Jimmy and Paul Cook (the current Chesterfield manager) were the coaches then and they took the first month's training. I was itching to get there.

“I got out for my first training session and I was out there for four hours - I've got the players complaining, saying they were tired but I’m saying “You're getting paid to kick a ball into the net!

“That novelty hasn't worn off. From that day, that was about 20-odd years ago, that novelty hasn't worn off and when it does it's probably time for me to go. I can't see it wearing off any time soon, if anything I'm more enthralled by it.

“I love the day to day involvement of football and it’s a big miss when you’re out of the game for a bit.”

Coleman took charge of over 1,000 games at Accrington and also managed Rochdale, Southport and Sligo Rangers.

He was approached to take over at Gillingham with former boss Mark Bonner struggling to pull the club’s form back around. Coleman agreed to take over.

He’d been working at fellow League 2 side Chesterfield prior to arriving at Priestfield, as part of their recruitment team, working with his close friend Cook. The chance to get back in the dugout was too strong to say no.

Coleman said: “I'm really thankful to Paul Cook and the owners of Chesterfield for welcoming me into that group but sometimes it can be counterproductive, because you're at those games and you're thinking, ‘I should be there in the dugouts’.

“You're seeing things that you think, ‘Oh, I could be making a difference to that.

“There's only so many funeral plan adverts you can see in the morning when you're watching Frasier!

“The thrill of preparing for Saturday is exciting, honestly when you've been in that situation and I know Jimmy will speak the same way, you can't beat it.

“I can't wait to get in with the players tomorrow (Tuesday) and get them to buy into what I'm thinking and what Jimmy's thinking.

“When you're a goal scorer, when you see them win it's great but when you score, that rush of adrenaline and endorphins, that rush, you can't beat it. When you go into management, every time your team scores you get that rush.

“It's like a drug. When I stop getting a kick off that rush, I think it's time to put me in a box.

“I've got a burning ambition to be successful and I know what successful feels like.

“I know the thrill and I also know the despair.

“I'm a football fan first and foremost. I know what I want as a football fan and most football fans are the same really. They love it when their players work hard and they love it when their team win and hopefully we can deliver that in both ends of the spectrum.”