Gillingham manager Mark Stimson paid tribute to some of the club's blossoming youngsters.

Midfielder Jack Payne (pictured right) has already made 19 first team appearances for the Gills despite being in the same age group as the trio of scholars who have just been handed professional deals.

Boss Mark Stimson spotted Payne’s quality early on and this season tied him to the club on a contract until the summer of 2013.

"He’s played more games than we would have thought," admitted Stimson, who handed Payne his first senior start against Championship side Plymouth in the Carling Cup first round at the beginning of the season.

"For the amount of games he has played, he has done well. He has a good brain and reads the game well.

"He keeps it simple and in the summer we’ll be putting him on a programme to build him up a bit and next pre-season he can come in, like he did this one, and challenge."

Emerging from last season’s youth set-up was winger Luke Rooney (pictured left).

He’s made 15 appearances for the Gills and scored, what Stimson felt was, the goal of the season.

Rooney’s impressive form earned him an extended
two-year deal which ties him
to the club until 2012.

Stimson said: "He’s had a
good season and for me, he scored the goal of the season
at Southampton.

"He’s been frustrated that he hasn’t played as much as he would have liked. He’s out on loan for a month at Eastbourne and he’ll come back for the remaining games, hopefully a little bit sharper and fitter and he might have a part to play at the end of the season."

Defender Tom Wynter (pictured right) is in his second year as a pro after emerging from the Gills’ youth programme and he is a making a big impression on Stimson.

"He’s a winner and he gives 100 per cent," said the Gills boss. "If you do that you deserve a chance and he hasn’t done anything wrong.

"He’s been brilliant when he’s got into the first team and the way he played in the reserves on Wednesday you would have thought it was a cup final.

"There was a little interest non-league to take him out on loan but we’ll keep him around us incase one of our centre halves gets an injury."