Conor Masterson is ready to step up as Gillingham’s defensive leader this season.
With Max Ehmer having moved on to Ebbsfleet, Masterson now becomes the most senior figure at the heart of the Gills back line.
The 26-year-old has made more than 100 league appearances for the club since initially joining on loan in January 2022, and, after weighing up offers from elsewhere this summer, he committed his future to Priestfield by signing a new one-year deal.
Masterson will be competing for a central defensive spot alongside 20-year-old Sam Gale and 23-year-olds Shad Ogie and Andy Smith.
“When I first came in I was one of the youngest and it’s crazy that I’m now the senior man!” he said.
“It’s been a bit of a journey at the Gills but I’ve absolutely loved it here. I think everybody knows that and that’s one of the reasons I came back.
“I’m looking forward to helping people around me and obviously playing the best football I can.
“I’m just very appreciative of the club for putting their trust in me and I just want to deliver for them now.”
Masterson enjoys helping lead, something he has done for many years. He skippered the under-18s at Liverpool and has captained Ireland at junior levels from under-15s all the way to under-21s, including at the Euro under-17 finals.
“I’d love to do it for the first team of Ireland one day!” he said.
“I’ve just got one more to tick off and that would be nice.”
John Egan did go on and represent the Irish senior side, having taken a step back from Sunderland to make a name for himself at the lower level with the Gills and then excelling in his time at Sheffield United.
Egan was captain material, too, and Masterson sees him as an ideal figure to look up to.
He said: “People have definitely mentioned John Egan a lot to me, with how he plays and stuff. That’s definitely a person I want to follow in the footsteps of.
“I want to do well this year and we’re going to take it game by game. But I think we’ve got a strong squad now and we’re going to have a good season.
“We’re all raring to go now. We just want to stay fit and strong, get through pre-season and just hit the ground running in the season and just smash it. That’s the plan.”
Masterson started every game under Gareth Ainsworth, ending the season on a high after a couple of spells out injured.
Ainsworth’s a manager he’s looking forward to working with again.
“With this manager I think it’s going to be exciting,” he said.
“I’ll be honest, I had a few options. I weighed them all up. I just felt like this was the right one for me right now.
“I’m very settled. I knew what I was coming into and I spoke with the gaffer a lot and I spoke to Brad (Galinson, the chairman).
“I spoke to a lot of people in the club and we’re all excited for this season and I just said, ‘You know what, I’ve enjoyed my time here. I want to do it one more year’. I wanted to come back and give it everything.
“I know what the gaffer wants and he knows what he’s going to get from me. We had a really good chat and it gave me loads of confidence. I was like, ‘Yes, this is the right place for me’.”
