Gillingham manager Mark Bonner is keen to get even more out of his leading scorer.
Jayden Clarke took his goal tally to seven in the 2-2 draw against Cheltenham Town on Friday night. The 23-year-old has already gone way beyond his productivity last season where he finished a tame campaign with just two goals to his name.
His latest effort put the Gills 1-0 up against Cheltenham, proving alert to fire home after the visiting keeper spilled a shot from Elliott Nevitt into his path. In current form, it’s not a chance he was going to miss.
Bonner said: “He did well, scored a good goal and I thought he had some good moments, good involvement in the second goal, in terms of being a real threat and he came alive in that.
“He was probably up and down in the game a little bit, didn’t have as much intensity against the ball that he has done in certain moments, but I’m picky with him, I want to keep pushing him.
“He’s definitely capable of being a double figures goalscorer and he’s obviously close to that now.
“We’ll push him to try and get there and then we’ll push him to go beyond it if we can because he’s been an important player for us.
“Hopefully we can keep adding in those areas of the squad and keep pushing him to keep him hungry because there’s still actually quite a lot to come from him I think.”
Gillingham let that lead slip against Cheltenham. They went from 1-0 up through Clarke’s effort, to being 2-1 down, needing a goal from substitute George Lapslie to clinch them a point.
Bonner spoke pre-match about it being a squad game and Lapslie was proof of that. Having not made the matchday 18 the week before, he played a key role when being reintroduced.
It was a pleasing moment for the manager who said: “There’s been a few stories like that I think, if you go over the whole season, players that one week have started and then been out the 18 or vice versa, or an unused sub and then played.
“He’s a great example. He trains really hard, he’s a good pro and he took his goal again really well.”
Bonner put Remeao Hutton back in the eleven after leaving him out of the starting line-up in the previous two games, giving teenager Harry Webster a chance. Webster found himself out of the squad on Friday.
The manager said: “That is going to be the story a little bit at Christmas I think, because we’ve got so many to pick from, and hopefully if I make a few good decisions and those players that get their opportunity take them, that will serve us well.”
