Gillingham have completed the second signing of the day as Leyton Orient midfielder Ethan Coleman joins the club.

The 22-year-old had been on loan at National League side Bromley, making 23 appearances, but joins the Gills on a permanent basis.

Coleman follows on the earlier announcement that Dulwich Hamlet’s 21-year-old forward Jayden Clarke has joined the club.

He links up with former O’s manager Kenny Jackett, now the director of football at Gillingham and is the seventh new signing of the January transfer window.

The midfielder joins the Gills for an undisclosed fee.

Manager Neil Harris has spoken of his desire to bring in promising young talent, with Coleman and Clarke the kind of players he hopes to develop, with a view towards next season.

Harris will hope to eventually have a B team of some shape to increase the chances of those players developing.

He said: “As a first-team manager, I aspire to have that in the football club, to have something between the under-18s and the first team.

“The under-18s have some good players, some will be offered pro contracts for next year, but there is a massive gulf between first-team football in the Football League and the under-18s category three, it is ridiculous.

“Ideally we have that middle ground. There has to be funding, staffing, a plan, it has been discussed and it is continued to be discussed what the right avenue is for us and those discussions will carry on.”