Believing his own ability is key for Gills midfielder Josh Rees, says boss Steve Lovell.

Rees, 25, was a summer signing from Bromley but injuries and a lack of form have ensured a frustrating start to life at Priestfield.

Lovell left the midfielder out of the squad last weekend but believes he will come good.

He said: “I have told him he needs to be a little bit more confident and he is here because he is a League 1 player. He has to take that on board and show me and he will.

“He is a great lad. He works hard and he can score goals but he has to have that confidence and belief to go and do it. He will.”

Lovell has found it hard to blood several other players, like Bradley Stevenson and Darren Oldaker, during the team’s poor run of form.

Rees is another who has found it hard playing alongside more experienced players playing out-of-form. He started alongside Callum Reilly in his last appearance, at Plymouth last week.

Lovell said: “Josh will do it, without a doubt. I spoke to him in the week and he has to be a little more confident in his own ability.

“He has come out of non-league and I think it has been hard for him.

“After the first few games of the season I could have taken one person out and put him in and he would be fine but he has gone into a team that is struggling. He hasn’t quite had the confidence in himself to go and do it.”

Stevenson made his first Football League start recently, at Doncaster, but hasn’t played since.

Like Rees and Oldaker, it’s just a matter of timing.

Lovell said: “He was going into a team that wasn’t the strongest that I wanted out there. It was hard for him. You are expecting him to go and do something for you.

“DJ (Oldaker) went in there on Saturday, but he had good characters around him, which helped.

“There are good talented boys here like Noel Mbo, Aaron Simpson and Ben Chapman, players who are knocking on the door and I am not afraid to give people an opportunity.”