Conor Masterson underlined his growing influence at Gillingham as the goalscoring defender played a key role in Saturday’s win.
Masterson opened the scoring with a nice finish from inside the box and went on to help the team secure a solid win, backed up with a clean sheet.
The Irish centre-half, who has only recently worked his way back to full fitness, set the tone for a dominant afternoon as the Gills claimed back-to-back League 2 victories in front of 472 travelling fans.
Reflecting on the performance, after a 3-0 win, Masterson felt it was close to the perfect day.
“It was a really good performance overall,” he said.
“First half, we created loads of chances as well. Just didn’t find the goal, but I thought the way we kept going, the way we kept pushing and then to score three goals and win that’s like a perfect day.”
Masterson’s opener came early in the second half, continuing a rich vein of form in front of goal for the defender. He’d scored the previous week against Newport.
He said: “It was a great ball from Max Clark, a great header to me from Big Josh [Andrews]. He’s seen me and I just did what I seemed to be doing at the minute.
“I enjoy scoring. I feel like I’m a goal-scoring centre-half, so I’d like to keep it going but it’s great we didn’t settle for one.
“We got the second, obviously a penalty, and a class finish for the third and to keep a clean sheet.”
Masterson believes the result was built on strong character and leadership throughout the side.
He said: “There is a lot of togetherness out there at the minute and there’s a lot of leaders out on the pitch, I think you can see that.
“The way we kept going, the way we kept passing the ball, wanting more, and it showed. 3-0 is nice.”
The clean sheet was another welcome bonus for a Gills side that have been working hard to tighten up defensively.
“It’s been a while, so it’s nice to get that,” he added.
Masterson also paid tribute to the travelling support, delighted to score in front of them.
“The fans have been brilliant for me,” he said.
“Looking at them there, we gave them what they wanted, they were buzzing, three goals. A win is always going to make them happy.
“It was a really nice feeling. It was a proper team performance.”
Having endured a frustrating spell on the sidelines, the defender admitted the moment meant plenty.
He said: “It was a tough injury to have, but to be back and scoring goals and winning games, that’s what it’s all about.
“I just want to say thanks to everybody, Gillingham, the staff, the players, the fans. They’ve been brilliant with me. I’m just grateful to be back.
“It felt like a really long time. But that’s football as well, isn’t it? These are the moments you come back for. I’m just buzzing.
“We’ll enjoy it and then focus on Monday and back to Cheltenham.”
With momentum building, Masterson is confident the squad is moving in the right direction. They are on the road again this week, away at Cheltenham on Tuesday night.
He said: “The characters in this squad are really good. Now everybody’s back fit, we’re going to reap those rewards of the characters in the group.”
Asked about targets for the rest of the season, he was clear.
“We want to finish as high as possible and get in the play-offs. That’s the target, winning as many games as possible.”
And while the Gills have now won two in a row, Masterson insists focus must quickly turn to the next test.
“We needed that,” he said. “I think the whole club needed that and we need to just keep going now. It’s only a win, so we have to focus on the next one and keep doing it.”
