Young striker Charlie Kelman said his winning goal for Gillingham on Saturday was a weight off his shoulders.

It’s been two years since the QPR loanee’s last league goal - and what a crucial one it was. Victory for Gills takes them level on points with the teams outside of the League 1 drop zone, with only goal difference keeping them inside the bottom four.

Kelman last scored in the league on March 2020 for Southend, during a loan at Roots Hall. The 20-year-old showed determination to head in at the far post this weekend at Doncaster to convert Ryan Jackson’s long throw. Just 59 seconds were on the clock. His goal was enough to clinch three points for The Blues.

“It was our biggest game of the season to date and I am buzzing,” said Kelman after the match.

“The lads were giving me a bit of stick, saying ‘when are you going to score?!’ It’s nice to have got it 50 seconds in, we just want to pick up as many points as we can and see where we are at the end of the season.

“The gaffer is always big on set-pieces and we had run through it on Friday. The ball bounced and next thing I remember I was off celebrating, I just attacked it. It is always good to get off the mark and hopefully this is just a start.”

It’s a first goal in 19 Gillingham appearances for Kelman who admitted the lack of goals had been playing on his mind.

He said: “I would be staying up at night thinking ‘when is it going to come?’ Then when it came off my head, you just have that weight off your shoulders, it was an amazing feeling.

“The gaffer said that he understood (the lack of goals). It has been over two years since a first team goal, I had just been working hard and keeping my head down, that is the main thing, it was brilliant to get a goal.”

Team-mate Ben Thompson ended up in the back of the net, along with the Doncaster goalkeeper and two defenders, as Kelman ran off to celebrate.

He said: “I wanted it more than everyone else and I think you could tell, it was a great feeling.”

Kelman was challenged to show he deserved his place in the starting eleven during training after Harris had told the player he was in his plans to start against Doncaster. He had been a sub in the previous four,

“We had an honest conversation on Tuesday,” said the striker.

“The gaffer said he wanted to start me but said, ‘give me a reason to’. Tuesday I trained hard, Thursday and Friday the same and I was told I would be starting. I just kept my head down.

“He told me what he wanted from me and we worked on it. It paid off.

“It is just the start, I am not going to get carried away, I just want to keep doing my bit, whether I score or not, I just want to run for the lads, run for the team and the fans and see where we are after nine games.”

Kelman’s time at Gills appeared over when the previous management team sent him back to QPR. A few months later he was asked to return when Alex MacDonald and Steve Lovell took over as a caretaker team and he’s glad to be back.

He said: “I am sure what has happened will end up on a podcast when I am 35 one day but it was brilliant, it is a nice feeing to come back and help the lads, they have really welcomed me, that one was for them.”

Kelman didn’t finish the game as a tight calf led to him being substituted. He will be eager for more action on Tuesday night when the Gills take on Charlton Athletic.

“It is not that bad,” he insisted. “We will see how I am, it’s just a bit of tightness. I think I will be fine.”