Retired striker Sam Vokes saluted his mate and weekend match-winner Garath McCleary for having the stamina to go on for another season with the Gills.
Vokes, 36, called it a day on Saturday after 751 matches for clubs from the Premier League down to League Two, finishing an impressive career with Gillingham.
He joined the Gills last summer, along with Garath McCleary, having both spent the previous four seasons playing together at Wycombe Wanderers.
While Vokes is hanging up his boots and considering his next step, McCleary is staying on at the Gills after the club exercised the option to extend the winger’s contract for another season. He turns 39 in the middle of this month.
Vokes said: “I’m bowing out at 36, but he’s still going very strong. He’s 39 in a couple of weeks. So I take my hat off to him.
“He’s got another year [at Gillingham], obviously. I’m sure he’ll be welcomed back with open arms at Priestfield next year because when he’s been fit this year, he’s contributed very well.
“He’s a good mate of mine, and I look forward to coming back and watching him and the rest of them at some point next year.
“Garath’s a good example for the young lads here. He’s still going strong as we saw [on Saturday].”
Vokes admitted it has been tough to stay in good condition after a long career.
He said: “It takes a toll on your body day in, day out. It’s not just what the fans see at three o’clock on a Saturday. It’s four or five training days in the gym and working hard.
“As you get older, you have to look after that more as well. You have to work harder to keep that up and keep your fitness.”
Vokes admitted that the Priestfield send-off brought a tear to his eye.
This past season with the Gills was his last in professional football, ending a 20-year career in which he played at all four levels of the Football League and on the international stage, too.
While his time at the Gills won’t go down as his most memorable, he was grateful to the fans on Saturday for making his final game a special one.
He went off to a standing ovation, and his team-mates also gave him a guard of honour as he left the field.
“I thank everyone at Gillingham,” he said. “It was a lovely moment and to receive a guard of honour from the players as well, that’s something I never dreamed of.
“I was very surprised and choked up. I’m not sure if I’ve cried too many times on a pitch, but I definitely welled up there.
“That was amazing. It’s great to have that from the people you work with day in, day out. I respect every one of them and thank them for that.”
Vokes had been hoping to end his career with a goal – at the same ground he scored his first in senior football 20 years earlier.
But he was happy to see his mate McCleary come up with the moment of magic to score a late winner to beat Shrewsbury.
Vokes, who had been subbed by then, said: “It was a lovely moment and he pointed over to the bench.
“Garath’s a great mate of mine. We actually looked recently at people I’ve played alongside the most and he was up there, I think in the top five of people I’ve played alongside.”
Vokes will take his time before deciding what to do next. He has taken his coaching badges and already done some media work for BBC Wales and Sky Sports.
“Twenty years [as a pro] has flown by,” he said.
“I still remember my debut like it was yesterday but I’ve been fortunate enough to hit a milestone last week of 750 games and I’m proud of what I’ve achieved.”
