Andy Barcham is revelling in his return to the first-team scene at Gillingham.

Last year’s supporters’ player-of-the-year has spent four months out with an ankle injury picked up in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy match at Southend in August.

It has been a long road for Barcham, along with a group of other injured players, and he is desperate to relieve some of the boredom he has had to endure while recovering.

He said: "Steve (Allen the physio) has been doing a lot for us, but it’s been frustrating and it gets a bit boring when every day you come in and you have to do your strengthening work in the gym.

"You get a bit isolated from the other boys when they go down to the training ground.

"These last few weeks I’ve been back down the training ground, although not fully back in which is a little annoying, but it’s part of the rehabilitation process."

Barcham was back in the blue and black of Gillingham on Wednesday when he played for around an hour in the reserves.

"Now I’ve got that first game under my belt and it’s decent," he said.

"I got a little whack on my ankle, which is nice, as I can then really test it. It was a bit sore afterwards but hopefully I can rest it, do some more gym work and be ready to keep pushing on now."