Oli Hawkins’ first goal for Gillingham pleased the manager but Neil Harris doesn’t judge his big striker on how many he nets.

Hawkins scored an 87th minute winner against Grimsby Town on Tuesday night to lift the Gills clear of the League 2 relegation zone.

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Prior to Hawkins’ goal it had been strike-partner Tom Nichols taking the headlines, with three scored in his first three games. For Harris, he sees his big man as more than just a goalscorer.

“Oli knows why he is here and what I want from him,” said the manager. “Oli is a centre-forward by trade and has become a very good centre-half as well over the last few years (at former club Mansfield) but I want him to play upfront, unless needs must.

“He knows he will score goals in my team because my big men Steve Morison (at Millwall) and Kieffer Moore (at Cardiff) in particular, scored goals in teams I’ve managed over a period of time.

“He will score goals because he will get opportunities with the way we play, but his job is to be that focal point, to play up to, to link up play, to win his headers and to defend his own box from set-plays. Just before he scored he headed one from just underneath our bar.

“It is nice for his confidence and nice for the fans to see him score and get off the mark and Oli is so important to us.”

Gillingham have had some big players playing that role in recent years, including Tom Eaves and Vadaine Oliver. There have been many more before that.

Harris said: “This club loves a big man upfront don’t they? I know that, I have played against them at Gillingham and I have done after dinner speaking with Bob Taylor and they loved him.

“The fans will be delighted for Hawks to get off the mark. We want him to score goals but that is not his focal point in the team, his focal point in the team is to be a 6ft 6inch focal point and let us play up to him and let Tom Nichols be bright around him and let people like Aiden O’Brien, George Lapslie and Dom Jefferies and Tim Dieng run off him.”

Hawkins joined the Gills two days before Lapslie, both signing from Mansfield. Both were on the scoresheet in the midweek win against Grimsby.

It was Lapslie’s second goal this season infront of the Rainham End. His first was for Mansfield in a 2-0 win. Gills fans were frustrated with the quality of the attack-minded nuisance that day but got to enjoy his game in a Gillingham shirt on Tuesday - celebrating his opener.

“It’s great for George to get off the mark,” Harris said. “He has had to be patient, to bide his time to get in because of how well we have played.”

Lapslie had been a substitute in the previous four matches before starting against Grimsby. He was the only change to the side that had lost to Mansfield at the weekend, with Harris feeling he needed to leave experienced man Shaun Williams out after an injury. Gills' stand-in skipper Williams had come off at the weekend with a muscle strain and hadn't trained on the Monday.