It’s payback time now, says Gills midfielder Scott Wagstaff.

He’s hoping to put an injury-plagued spell at the club behind him and continue the form he has been showing of late.

Wagstaff was in the thick of it last weekend against Bristol Rovers while he scored at Carlisle on Tuesday night in another impressive showing.

The 27-year-old, who was limited to 28 appearances last season, said: “I’ve enjoyed being out there again. The gaffer has been brilliant with me and has eased me back in and all the staff as well. Hopefully, I can repay that now, keep playing well and keep the form up.”

Maidstone-born Wagstaff joined Gills in July 2016 after previously being with Bristol City, arriving with a big reputation.

Injuries have hampered his progress, however.

“It’s not how I wanted it to be,” said the former Charlton man.

“I wanted to come here and play as many games as I can, score goals, get assists and do well for the club and I haven’t managed to do that.

“But hopefully this season is a turning point for me and I can carry this on now.

“I am enjoying playing again and getting a run in the team, that is what I wanted to do. Hopefully, I can show that to the boys and the fans.”

Reflecting on Tuesday night’s FA Cup defeat to Carlisle, he said: “The boys are massively disappointed, it’s a poor result for us.

“You can’t start the way we started. We gave them two goals in the first half and I don’t think they had much more.

“We didn’t take our chances, we put some great balls in the box and should have scored a few more.”

Read the full interview in Thursday's Medway Messenger