Elliott List wants to be a regular starter at Gillingham and did his chances no harm at the weekend.

His stunning solo effort against Coventry, an early goal-of-the-season contender, earned the Gills a point in a game where they looked to be heading for defeat.

“It was quite a nice goal,” said the modest 21-year-old, who came off the bench to replace injured Regan Charles-Cook towards the end of a disappointing first half for Gillingham.

“That is the way football works, someone goes out and someone comes in and gets a chance to show what they can do. If they are good enough then they can keep their place.

“That is my aim, I want to show the gaffer why I should be starting and it’s a decision that is in his hands.”

List missed the first four games of the campaign after picking up a shoulder injury towards the end of the pre-season.

He said: “It was disappointing to get injured and nice to get back to where I left off, scoring goals. It was nice to score infront of our supporters, to give them a buzz.”

On a day when the Gills were struggling, List came to the rescue, winning possession, beating several defenders inside the box after sprinting goalwards before firing a shot between the keeper’s legs from a tight angle.

It’s three goals in four appearances now for the forward, after two in two at the end of last season.

List said: “I love getting in behind and running at defenders. I have played like that all my life."

His run ended with a decision to square the ball to a team-mate or take the shot on from an angle.

“I saw a gap," he said. "It was literally a yard and thought I've got to put this through his (the goalkeeper's) legs, low and hard, and that’s thankfully what happened.

“It’s always nice to score goals and one that is important, one that gets a point on the board.”

It ensured the Gills avoided a third straight league defeat.

List said: “We are a little disappointed that we didn’t play as well as we wanted but we have managed to get a point and hold onto it. The positives are that we haven’t lost and we’ve got a point on the board.”

The Gills finished the day ninth in League 1 and List believes they are capable of pushing for a promotion place this season.

He said: “We want to push as high as we can, all the boys in the dressing room believe we can go top six, we want to get there, that is our aim.”