He scored a goal-of-the-season contender and his team beat Bristol Rovers 4-1 but Gillingham midfielder Mark Byrne was still feeling gutted.

Byrne was on a hat-trick when he put a penalty wide midway through the second half, a moment which took the shine off everything else.

The Irishman said: “It was a crazy game, one of the craziest for me personally.

“First penalty the keeper has got a great touch onto the post but I finished it (from the rebound) and the second goal was nice.

“The chance to score a hat-trick doesn’t come around too often and I am gutted that I missed the penalty. It was a great opportunity.

“I am absolutely gutted about missing, I am more gutted about that really than anything. I might not get that opportunity to score a hat-trick again.”

Byrne had an all-action match. He scored his first goal after his penalty was saved by keeper Adam Smith but was on hand to convert when the ball came back off the post.

His second goal, Gills’ fourth, was a stunner, volleying home a Lee Martin corner.

He said: “Marts put a great ball in and I hit it with my laces, once I hit it I knew it was going in.”

It was a Paul Scholes-esque finish and Byrne was happy with the comparison, being a big Manchester United fan himself.

“He scored a lot of those from the edge of the box,” recalled the Gills midfielder. “One of the boys said afterwards it was like Scholesy and I was delighted with the goal.

“My whole family are massive Manchester United fans and he has scored a few of them.”

A hat-trick would have capped a great day for Byrne, and that opportunity came when Scott Wagstaff was brought down in the box by the Rovers keeper.

Tom Eaves, who was back on penalty duty after Byrne’s earlier saved spot-kick, let his team-mate have the ball and a chance of a first-ever professional treble.

But Byrne fluffed his lines, shooting wide of the left-hand upright.

“I always go to the right in training,” he said. “But the keeper stood in the middle and I changed my mind last minute, which I shouldn’t have done. I am gutted I missed.”