Gillingham boss Mark Stimson believes midfielder Kevin Maher is starting to show the fans what a quality player he can be.

Maher, pictured, was signed in the summer after a long pursuit by Stimson but up until now has failed to win a regular place in the heart of midfield and also struggled to win the fans’ favour.

Several notable performances and a few assists, however, are now showing Maher in a better light.

Stimson said: "He’s one of those players who some supporters will appreciate what he does, but a lot won’t.

"He doesn’t run around the pitch at a hundred miles per hour, he doesn’t fly into tackles and he doesn’t score many goals, so what does he do? What he does for us is gives us that shape that you need and he keeps the middle of the pitch filled up.

"He doesn’t leave a hole and wander as the likes of young Curtis Weston or Stuart Lewis will do. If two do that you leave a big hole in the middle and games recently, probably more so away, teams have just run through the middle of us and scored.

"Kev does a good job and he has an eye for a pass. He’s a strong character and he knows what it’s all about. He was signed to be a big player for us and now he has come into that bit of form and we need players like him."