More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Cheye Alexander believes he can play at a higher level and is at the right place to make that happen.
The right-back scored his first goal in the Football League on Saturday - the winner against his former team - and showed plenty of other attributes during an impressive performance at Priestfield.
It’s that kind of display that manager Neil Harris is demanding of him more frequently and Alexander is confident he can keep on progressing. It’s the reason he chose the Gills in the summer - with other clubs showing interest.
He said: “When I had a conversation with the gaffer I knew right away that I wanted to play for Gillingham. I need to progress as a player and I feel he can help me in that way.
“I will get to the levels that I feel I should be but that will only come with performances on the pitch and I have to keep doing that. (You should) never put a limit on where you think you could go. I definitely feel I can play a couple of leagues above.”
He left Wimbledon in the summer after two years at the club. The 28-year-old headed to the Gills as a free agent and did enough to win a one-year contract, with an option.
“I was settled there but it is football,” he said. “One day you are on top of the world and the next you are on the bottom, it is the game we are in.
“With Wimbledon it was a bit different and factors that I can’t say what happened, nothing to do with football, outside of football why I left, it was sour with the way it was left.
“The (Gillingham) gaffer called me in the summer and said that we want you to come down, I did have options, in League 1 as well, but I wanted to come here, I love what the gaffer said and I love the club, the fanbase is amazing and to be a part of a team that is hopefully going to go back to League 1.”
Alexander isn’t one for looking back and enjoyed his goal against the Dons as the Gills revival continues.
“We are in the present, the past is the past,” he said.
“We are performing how we should be now, getting the points we need and hopefully we can keep this up to the end of this season and start it again at the beginning of next season and push for promotion.
“I am a Gillingham player and I scored the goal for Gillingham that won the game, I have to celebrate.”
Alexander’s last goal was for Barnet in the National League back in December 2019. Despite the lack of goals he showed plenty of confidence with a volleyed effort from the edge of the box on Saturday that went in.
“I have been waiting for one of them this season,” he said. “It sat up, I knew as soon as I hit it that it was in and the feeling is amazing. I think it went through someone’s legs but I thought it was a good finish.
“It’s amazing for the fans and for myself - you could see that by the way I celebrated.
"I wasn’t surprised as I do it in training every day! In training I do go with the strikers a lot and thankfully that practice has paid off - hopefully I can bring many more to the team this season.”
Promotion-chasing Bradford City are coming up next for Gillingham. The Gills have won their last four games at Priestfield and confidence is sky high ahead of Tuesday night’s game.
Alexander said: “We have the confidence knowing we can win any game, whoever comes here is going to have a difficult game and if we do what we need to do then we will win.”
