Gillingham striker Lewis Walker was happy with two goals on Tuesday and wasn’t wasting energy worrying about the third that was ruled out.

He broke his Gills duck by scoring twice in the 3-2 EFL Trophy win over Brighton’s under-21s at Priestfield but the officials spotted an infringement as he put the ball over the line for what would have been his hat-trick.

“I haven’t had a hat-trick since I was a kid but all I can do is look forward,” said the 23-year-old.

“I was a bit gutted not to get the three but I’ll take the two.

“I am obviously disappointed but you can’t really dwell on the negatives. It is a hard game to be dwelling, the games come thick and fast. Even if I got three, you have to just try and produce the next game.

“You want to score in every game you play, 100%. I have always believed in myself, I was always confident. I had a few chances [to score] and whether it’s luck or I should have done better with, maybe a bit of both, it never plays on my mind in a negative way.

“I think we are definitely creating more chances as a team now and it is never really a negative thing, you look at the games, when I'm on the sidelines, I feel like I can come in and contribute."

Walker has had to be patient for the goals but admits he had to adapt to playing English football again. Prior to signing for the Gills in the summer, he had spent two season in Italy’s lower-leagues with Como and then Athletic Carpi last year.

“It is really good to be back,” he said. “They don’t say it is the home of football for no reason, I did miss it. I really liked going abroad but I'm happy to be back and getting my head down and trying to make an impact.”

Asked what the differences have been, he said: “It is definitely quicker [in League 2]. I know the gaffer [Neil Harris] knows that because he gave me a while to get used to the pace again. It is just quicker and more intense.

“I know they talk about Italian football being slow and they are probably right. It is just about getting up to speed with it all.”