Frank Nouble got off the mark on his Gills debut Picture: Barry Goodwin

byMatthew Panting

Gillingham boss Andy Hessenthaler has backed new loan signing Frank Nouble to take League 2 by storm.

Hessenthaler’s month-long search for a striker ended on Thursday when Nouble joined the Gills on a month’s loan from West Ham.

He immediately showed his worth with the first goal in the 6-1 win at Hereford on Saturday – Gillingham’s first victory in five games.

And Hessenthaler believes Nouble can match the efforts of 25-goal Cody McDonald.

"Frank is a great addition to the squad and we’re delighted that we’ve got him," said Hessenthaler.

"He has pace like Cody, he is a bigger lad than Cody but Cody was good in the air as well.

"He has massive potential and in this division he could cause problems – he could do as well as Cody, without a doubt."

Hessenthaler also hit back at his critics who have been keen for the Gills to sign a proven goalscorer on loan to bolster their ranks after just nine goals in their opening eight league games.

"Some of the comments made (were) about him not being proven," said Hessenthaler, "Well, he is a young lad at a great club and he has done fantastically well (for us).

"We looked for a striker and people said we should get someone proven, but how the hell can a League 2 club sign a proven striker?

"It was frustrating, but the proven scorers are not out there. They will cost you £500,000 and we don’t have that.

"We’ve got a young lad who is hungry and like a lot of League 2 clubs, young players will come in (on loan). Cody McDonald came and wasn’t proven (yet he) scored 25 goals."

Nouble’s partnership with Danny Kedwell gave the Gills a much-needed new dimension in attack and Hessenthaler will try to extend Nouble’s loan if he carries on scoring.

"At the moment it’s a month and we will see," said Hessenthaler. "If he enjoys it and is scoring goals, then hopefully we can extend it."

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