Boss Steve Lovell led the praise for double centurion Max Ehmer.

The German defender grabbed the headlines last weekend for choosing to play for the Gills rather than racing home to be with his wife and newborn baby.

On Saturday he played his 200th game for the club, helping to keep a clean sheet and claiming an assist for the 89th-minute winner.

Not a bad afternoon for the 27-year-old, who received a special presentation from Gills chairman Paul Scally prior to kick-off.

Lovell made Ehmer captain following Gabriel Zakuani’s season-ending injury, having previously turned down the role.

“We talked to him about (being captain before) but he wasn’t comfortable with it at the time,” said Lovell.

“He wanted to concentrate on his own game and felt that he wasn’t ready to be a captain. That shows what a character and a professional that he is.

“Most people would take it and say ‘I will have some of that’ but he realised he wasn’t ready for it.

“He loves it now and he is two and a half years on, 200 games played, he has that experience and he leads by example. Their centre-forward didn’t get a kick all game.”

Ehmer has been playing alongside Connor Ogilvie since Zakuani’s injury.

“The two of them were brilliant at the back,” said Lovell, after Saturday’s clean sheet against Oxford.

“Him and Connor are getting a right good partnership together. Connor was outstanding and he deserved his man-of-the-match. He won everything and he gives us balance on that left side as centre-half.

“All the back four did the job and Barry (Fuller) keeps going. He got booked and it’s a good job he didn’t catch the fella because he would have landed up in the top tier of the stand! But he has been brilliant, he has been a true pro. He is still fit and a great man to have around.”

Gillingham’s defence has been more solid of late, conceding just one goal in their last three games.

Lovell said: “We were leaking goals, making mistakes at the back and giving teams goals but now we are defending as a team, not just the back four and Tomas (Holy) but the midfield and front two.

"Everyone works as a unit and we deny teams like (Oxford) from having shots on target.”