Elliott Hewitt has every reason to want to impress at Gillingham.

He started the season as a regular starter for Championship side Ipswich Town. A few bad results led to him being dropped and eventually getting sent out on loan to Gillingham.

Ankle ligament damage cut that loan short but he returns tomorrow (Saturday) aiming to get his season back on track.

“It’s been a bit of a nightmare,” admitted the 19-year-old. "I was doing well here. We had won two and lost one and I then did my ankle. I had a little fracture in it before I came but it wasn’t causing me too much hassle.

“I went into a tackle and did the ligaments on the outside of my ankle which put me out for a few weeks, which was frustrating.”

Hewitt’s last appearance came in the 3-2 win over Stevenage on November 26. With his re-hab behind him and a new month-long loan deal signed with the Gills, he is keen to get going again.

He said: “I am glad I came back and I have been training for a full week now.

“I need to get back in the team but the boys are doing well, apart from a blip last Saturday. I want to play as many games as I can, win a few games until the end of this month, when my loan is up and see what happens from there.

“You want to play as high as you can go but if I am not playing at Ipswich, I don’t want to be sat on the bench every week.”

He added: “If the manager there agreed to it, I would be happy to stay, I just want to be playing games. I am enjoying my time here, the boys and the fans are good.”