A fit-again Jonny Williams is pushing for a start and eyeing a role in his favoured position.

Like most players, Williams is happy to fill in where needed, but it’s centrally where he plays best.

Gillingham head coach Stephen Clemence looks like sticking with a 3-5-2 formation and the central midfield role behind the two strikers is a position the 30-year-old feels he can be most effective.

A hamstring strain kept Williams out of the big FA Cup match with Sheffield United and the league game at Colchester United before that but he’s eased his way back in recently with substitute appearances against Forest Green and MK Dons.

He said: “As a player you want to play every game, every week, I am delighted to be back.

“It is hard as a footballer because you get into a rhythm of playing games, to get match sharpness, match fitness, and you only get that by playing games. You can train as much as you like but there is nothing like match fitness.

“I want to get back up to speed as quickly as I can, back up and running.

“I want to get on the ball as much as I can and being central allows you to do that a bit more. I feel like that is my best position, playing in the middle. I have played numerous games out on the wing, and I can play there of course, but I think that (central) is where you are going to get the best out of me.”

Williams knows others are vying for that role, however. George Lapslie has been in and out of the team and on Saturday, Ethan Coleman - a more defensively-minded midfielder - was flanked by Connor Mahoney and Dom Jefferies.

“We have a strong squad,” he said. “We have great strength in depth in every position, which gives the manager a headache every week of what team to pick, which is great.

“When we do have injuries we have people that can fill in and do a job as good as the person who was playing there. We have a strong side that is all ready to play their part from now until the end of the season.”

Williams joined the Gills in the summer from Swindon. He had scored nine goals last season for them at the same stage - including one in a thrilling 3-3 draw against Gillingham. His only goal this term has come in a 5-1 EFL Trophy loss at Portsmouth.

He’s obviously hoping for more but said: “It’s very stats-based in the modern day, it is what it is, if I can keep creating chances, you might not always get the assist but if I can create chances and openings for other people to get the assists or goals then I am happy. I just want the team to win.

“I just want to make sure the team does well and we get in the play-offs, it has always been a bonus for me in my career to get the stats.

“I am going to enjoy playing in the middle for sure and I felt like I was getting a few chances, a few dropped against Crawley and Sutton (before the injury). I was getting into better areas in the box and if you make the box enough times the ball will drop and things will come. It feels like a matter of time before I start providing in that area as well.”

Williams is now joined at the Gills by another ex Swindon player, Remeao Hutton, who will provide balls in from the right flank. It was a cleared cross from Hutton to Williams that led to his goal against the Gills this time last year.

“Hutts is a great player,” said Williams. “The change of formation suits him perfectly because he is a wing-back, which is obviously why we have signed him, a great player going forward, provides numerous different crosses whether floated or drilled.

“He usually finds a way of finding players in the box, and with the two players up front along with the midfield runners and the other wing-back, we will get chances from his crossing ability.

“He’s a real strong, powerful lad who will hopefully provide for us as much as he did for Swindon.”