Former Gillingham youngster Roman Campbell has started a fourth spell at Sittingbourne.

Campbell had two loans with the Brickies in 2019, including a seven-goal return in his first stint, before signing a permanent deal after his release by the Gills at the end of January 2020.

He went on to join Folkestone and has also played for the likes of Margate, Ramsgate and Faversham.

The 24-year-old was named among the substitutes for Sittingbourne’s 4-2 FA Trophy third-round win over Enfield Town on Saturday.

He’s back at the club on dual-registration from Essex outfit Saffron Walden, with manager Ryan Maxwell hoping to get the best out of a player who was tipped for a big future in his Gillingham days.

“He can play centre-half or centre-forward, and he’s still a young man,” said Maxwell, whose side are only two points behind Isthmian South East leaders Ramsgate after winning 4-0 at Herne Bay last night.

“He needs to get up to speed but he’s someone who can score a goal and defend.

“I heard he did well when he was here before.

“I’m trying to get him back to that vein of form.

“There’s a little bit of a journey to be had with Roman.

“He needs to catch up on the fitness levels but there’s a talented player there.”

Maxwell, meanwhile, has spoken about the pace in his side which caused National League South Enfield so many problems at the weekend.

The Brickies’ Step 2 opponents couldn’t live with the speed out wide of Troy Howard and Henry Sinai, or two-goal Joe Boachie breaking from central areas.

“We made a recruitment requirement in the summer, that was let’s go and get some pace, so that’s what we did,” said Maxwell.

“It’s OK being quick, anyone can be quick.

“You can sign loads of quick players but do they have an end product or quality?

“Do they understand the tactics of the game in a positional sense, decision-making?

“We haven’t just got quick players, we’ve got good quick players. There’s a big difference.

“They’re devastating because pace doesn’t get highlighted unless there’s an end product, so the amount of times we get in with a great cross or a shot is countless.

“It’s a great trait to have. You can play someone in, all day, every day, but if he doesn’t have an end product, nothing will happen.

“We’ve got players who we’ve given instructions, we’ve given them certain patterns, and the management team have to take credit for that, and they are coachable.

“If they aren’t coachable, they’ll find their level but these boys are coachable.”

The quality on the ball of Richie Hamill also played a big part in Sittingbourne’s Trophy success.

He excelled in midfield and had a hand in three of the four goals.

Maxwell said: “Richie was outstanding.

“He’s dug in, made some big tackles, and won lots of ball, but also played some really telling passes over distance and his distribution was as good as I’ve seen from a dead ball at any non-league level.

“Even with the wind, every time he’s putting a ball in, we’ve got something to attack and the boys know that, so then they attack it fully.

“We’ve got a chance every time we get a corner or a set-piece.”

Three goals in seven second-half minutes led Sittingbourne to a big win at Herne Bay – their 10th consecutive league victory.

Ryan Kingsford, Jack Steventon and Henry Sinai took the game away from the hosts before Jay Beckford added an injury-time fourth.

Sittingbourne put their 100% home record on the line against Merstham this Saturday (3pm).

The Brickies have won all 10 league fixtures at Woodstock this season.