Meet the 90-year-old twins who could well be the longest supporters of the Gills after attending games for around 80 years.

Edna Haas and sister Iris Smith have been supporting Gillingham Football Club since they were 12 years old when they were taken to a match by their father in 1945.

Now 90, the pair have held season tickets for numerous years on and off and Edna still tries to attend every weekend match.

The great-grandmother said: "We can blame our dad for the football. When we were 12 years old he said he would take us to a match as we lived nearby.

"We were hooked from then on and we said we would go to every match. We would go on our own if our dad was away working.

"I still go every Saturday. I still have my ticket and seat in Row H on the Gordon Road stand and go with my friends."

Sister Iris said although she does not attend the matches due to her health, she still keeps up-to-date with the fixtures. She added: "I always make sure to listen to it on the radio."

Being fans for almost 80 years, they have seen a lot of changes at the club and seen countless players come and go.

Among the most memorable, they said, were centre forward Hughie Russell who played from 1946 to 1952 and centre half Tom Kingsnorth who was at the club from 1946 to 1951.

The pair recalled striker Hughie scoring nine goals in a match against Gloucester City FC in the Southern League 1946/47 season which led the Gills to a 12-1 victory.

Another memorable moment for them was when the Gills rejoined the Football League in 1950, with their first game back attracting a crowd of 19,525.

And Priestfield Stadium has certainly changed. Edna, who now lives in Rainham, added: "We saw Gillingham Football Club as it was then. The ground was not like it is now."

She recalled how there used to be one main stand and the rest were mainly uncovered and standing meant you could move from one end to the other, following the action.

Until 1995, when former chairman Paul Scally took control of the club, there had not been any significant changes to the stadium, in Redfern Avenue, since the 1920s.

Edna added: "Whatever people say about Scally, he made big improvements at the club over the years, particularly when you look at what the ground was like when he took it over.

"Whatever people have to say about him, I think he made some changes and made it what it is today."

The club has now been taken over by American businessman Brad Galinson who has already proven popular with fans with more returning to Priestfield in their numbers and singing his name.

And Edna and Iris are no exceptions. Edna said: "I was there at the match when he came out with his family. He went round the pitch waving.

"I think it is a step in the right direction for the club."

Sister Iris, who now lives in Hartlip, added: "It is like how they took Wrexham. The money he has put into the club immediately made a difference."

The Galinsons agreed a deal to take over the club at the end of 2022 and their money has instantly transformed things, with winning streaks and new signings.

Edna and Iris were born and grew up in Gillingham and attended Chatham Grammar School. They both went on to work at London County Council, later the Greater London Council, as well as taking up other jobs within local government.

They recently celebrated their 90th birthdays with a Gillingham FC cake made for the occasion.

Both are also members of Sittingbourne and Milton Regis Golf Club and have been for around 40 years, playing in the women's team for many seasons.

"Sport has been our life and it still is," Edna said. "It has taken its toll with all our aches and pains."

Iris added: "Our whole life has been around sports. You look back on the good days and the memories."