Mitchell Dickenson finally made his Football League debut at the weekend and he’s hoping it’s just the beginning.

The 20-year-old came off the bench in the first half against Bury for the injured Ryan Jackson.

His only previous first-team action had been in the Checkatrade Trophy earlier this season.

Dickenson, who has risen up through the youth ranks at Gillingham, will now be hoping he has a chance to start against Scunthorpe next weekend.

He said: “I would like to start games now. I feel I have done well in training and the gaffer says I deserved the opportunity (on Saturday). I hope to carry on from here.

“Hopefully I have done enough to start. I will need to work hard in the week in training. I am not sure if Deji (Oshilaja) is going to be back (from injury), but I won’t think about that, I will just do my normal stuff."

There was no time for nerves at the weekend, as Dickenson was called upon in the 39th minute. The defender admitted it was quite a surprise.

He said: “When it looked like Jacko was coming off I thought he (the manager) might change things around but when Gary (Hemens, the physio) pointed to me I was like ‘is it me?’ I couldn’t quite believe it.

“I didn’t have any time to think about it or to worry, I was too busy trying to get my shinpads on! I had been waiting a good two or three seasons for this to come and I was absolutely buzzing over it.”

Dickenson was right in at the deep end, against wily strikers in Tom Pope and James Vaughan. Bury finished with three up top when Ryan Lowe came off the bench.

“I thought I competed quite well," he said. "It was a much bigger occasion than before (in the Checkatrade Trophy). I just tried to do my best.

“Zesh Rehman was talking to me quite a lot, he has loads of experience and he was telling me where to go and when to step up. He is a big voice in the changing room and it was good to have that experience at the back when I went on.”