Robbie McKenzie didn’t do enough in pre-season to warrant a start for Gillingham at right-back but has become the club’s unexpected goalscoring hero.

His winner at Stockport on Saturday has been followed up by a second-half double against Championship side Southampton to send the Gills through to round two of the Carabao Cup.

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McKenzie only scored once last season but has popped up in the right place at the right time to ensure the Gills have had a super start to their 2023/24 campaign.

Manager Neil Harris chose Cheye Alexander as the man to fill the right-back spot at Stockport when the Gills kicked off their League 2 campaign and, ironically, it was his free-kick that led to substitute McKenzie scoring an 86th-minute winner in the north west.

McKenzie got the nod to start on Tuesday against the Saints, in the defensive midfield position, and he revelled in the role with a determined performance and some thrilling moments, too.

“He was excellent,” said manager Neil Harris.

“I picked Cheye at Stockport because he had been better than Robbie in pre-season, that’s the bottom line of it, but Robbie came on with a brilliant attitude (on Saturday) and affected the game defensively and scored the goal.

“Robbie can play anywhere across the back line and in midfield, so his versatility is a dream for me.

“I thought he was excellent, not just with his defensive responsibility, him and Ethan (Coleman), but the way he handled the ball as well and the goals are just a huge bonus.

“He has bounced back from being left out of the opening game of the season and responded brilliantly. I picked the team (at Stockport) on merit and he has responded brilliantly, that is how to respond.

“The lads have to trust me, I am not always going to get it right. I understand that, if you change the team you are going to be questioned, but I feel I have a good squad, that the core 16-17 players we have in the building, are a good squad at our level and if you have that then I can rotate the players. I can take players out of a winning team.

“I could have gone with the same team but I changed it, not just to rest players towards the weekend, it wasn’t that. I picked a team I thought could affect the game.”