Simon King in action against Dagenham Exclusive picture: Barry Goodwin

By Luke Cawdell

Simon King pulled on a Gillingham shirt for the first time in over a year on Friday as he took a giant step towards returning from long-term injury.

King has been sidelined with ankle problems since August 2009 but emerged unscathed from a specially arranged friendly match against Dagenham at Priestfield.

King, whose 99th and last competitive appearance for the Gills was in the League 2 play-off final victory over Shrewsbury, played 50 minutes against the Daggers and was thrilled to be back.

"It was a great feeling," said King. "Ever since the gaffer (Andy Hessenthaler) arranged the game I had been counting down the days.

"It may have only been a friendly match but it was still a game of football to play in and not something I’ve been able to do for so long.

"To be in a Gillingham shirt again and to be wearing the captain’s armband was a real lift."

It’s been a long road back for the 27-year-old and, although he admits his ankle will never be the same again, he’s looking forward to recapturing the form that led to him becoming a key player for the Gills.

He said: "I’m a central defender and I’m expected to be making tackles and that’s what I’ll be doing. I’ll be playing with the same attitude and will be the same kind of player as I was before the injury."

Full story and more pictures in Monday's Medway Messenger