Tom Eaves is on course to join an illustrious group of Gillingham players.

With 14 league goals already, and 15 in total, the striker could challenge the records held by Gills greats Brian Yeo and Ernie Morgan.

Both Yeo and Morgan netted 31 goals in a Football League season and Lovell can see Eaves reaching those heights, assuming he doesn’t leave in January.

“I think he can get to 30 goals,” said Lovell, who topped the scoring charts at Gills for several seasons, hitting 25 league goals in the 1987/88 campaign.

“With the way we play, we now have players around him who are helping him. Josh Parker and Elliott List, Regan Charles-Cook, players who understand the game and make it easier for Tom so he can go and do his work.

“We have other players that can go in and fit around him. If that can happen, I am sure he will get more goals.”

• More: Eaves and Holy unlikely to sign new deals

Lovell believes his leading scorer could have 20 by now had he put away a few other chances.

He said: “Look at Scunthorpe, he could have scored two in the first half before he got his good goal and that is what I say about him, he doesn’t get those tap-ins.

“All of his goals are good, the goal Saturday he took well and finished brilliantly but let’s get him some tap-ins, if he gets them as well he could have had 20-plus goals already.

“He is doing everything right, but those tiny things. It is great to score great goals, most of his have been excellent, but it is getting those tap-ins.”

Lovell insists his striker shouldn’t be looking to set any targets, however, saying: “I never did.

“You can go through a period where you are not scoring and then it puts pressure on yourself to think you have to get to that target. The harder you try, the worse it gets and the less chance you have of scoring.

“I say, just play your normal game and that’s what I like about Tom, he will not change, nothing affects him mentally. He is really good like that, he can make a mistake but it doesn’t bother him."

Read more in this Thursday's Medway Messenger newspaper