Gillingham have announced the departure of their head of recruitment after a torrid start to their time back in League 2.

Nicky Shorey was brought in by manager Neil Harris towards the end of last season to build up a portfolio of potential summer signings ahead of what was a major rebuild. A host of new players joined but the Gills have struggled so far following last term's relegation.

Thirteen new signings were made over the close-season but Gillingham have struggled in League 2, with just six goals scored - the lowest goalscorers in the Football League by some distance. With only two wins from 20 games the Gills are second bottom of the table and in danger of dropping into non-league.

Free transfer signings of Will Wright, Shaun Williams, Dom Jefferies, Scott Kashket, Jake Turner, Mikael Mandron, Cheye Alexander, Jordan Green and Lewis Walker were all made, while Harris was unable to shift some of the players that he had wanted to move on from the side who were relegated from League 1.

Hakeeb Adelakun joined on loan from Lincoln City shortly after the season started, as did defender Haji Mnoga - who was sent off on his debut and has struggled to get involved since. The loan signings of Glenn Morris (Crawley), Ryan Law (Plymouth), Elkan Baggott (Ipswich) and Ashley Maynard-Brewer (Charlton) - the keeper who got injured in pre-season and never played a senior game - followed.

Gillingham also added Robbie McKenzie and Josh Chambers to the ranks after the pair had failed to win a deal elsewhere, having initially left in the summer. The Gills have also recently recruited winger Callum Harriott but he’s working his way back to fitness and hasn’t yet played.

Gillingham have now turned to James King as a “recruitment consultant” in the short-term with immediate effect.

The club say that: “James will primarily be tasked with recruitment for the January transfer window. He will be working with, and reporting to the board, as well as the first-team manager.”

Harris made the recruitment department a key priority when taking over as manager at the end of January, saying he wanted to overhaul the structure at the club.

Speaking shortly after his arrival, Harris said: “We need to make sure we recruit properly to give those players an opportunity to develop, if they play and they are not ready it doesn’t further their career.

“We have to make sure we get the players correct and ultimately you need to have a recruitment department to do that and that is something the chairman is passionate about. He believes it and we will implement it.

“We need to scout the country, we need to scout non-league, we need to scout the rest of the UK and ultimately in the future, Europe. That is the way the game has gone.

"We are not a mega rich football club, we’re playing in League 1, we have to cut our cloth accordingly and I understand that but you can work smart, as I keep saying, you find ways. I have done it at my previous two clubs, at Millwall and Cardiff City, set up recruitment departments and I want to do the same here.”

Shorey’s arrival was announced the following month.

Harris had worked with Shorey before at Millwall and said at the time: "Nicky is a football man, he is trustworthy, he is honest, he is hard working and he has got an array of contacts at all levels of football that will help us recruit the right characters and the qualities in players that we need.”

Harris has been critical of the players at his disposal in recent weeks, unable to hide his frustration at their poor start to the season.