Gillingham are making the most of having experienced coach Keith Millen at the club.

Millen, 56, was appointed head of academy coaching at the Gills towards the end of last season - as a key part of the club’s internal restructure under Neil Harris.

A varied CV has seen Millen work around the country, with caretaker manager stints at both Bristol City and Crystal Palace during his time there, academy positions at Spurs and Blackpool and spells with MK Dons, Portsmouth and Carlisle.

Millen, who has also worked at Swedish sides Orgryte and Halmstads, is now using his football knowhow at Gillingham, including helping coach the recently established B team.

He’s coaching the Gillingham youngsters on a regular basis, as part of a shared responsibility for the B team.

First team boss Neil Harris said: “It’s a great opportunity for them to work with someone like Keith.

“Keith is not solely responsible for the B team but with his experience and as head of coaching we feel it is important that he gets contact with those players as well, to pass on that experience.

“While he sets the coaching philosophy through the academy, it is important he starts getting those messages to that group of players, along with under-18s, 16s and 15s.”

Harris was keen to bolster Gillingham’s infrastructure when he joined the Gills and he’s been able to put his plans into action following the Galinson takeover.

Millen isn’t the only person to have arrived, with some familiar faces within the coaching set-up.

While Mark Moss is managing the youth team and also having a hand in the B team too, there’s the likes of former Gillingham players Jermaine McGlashan and Lee Martin also on the coaching department.

McGlashan played for the Gills between 2014 and 2016, making 67 appearances, and joined the Gills as part of the Premier League and PFA’s ‘Professional Player to Coach’ scheme.

The scheme provides a 23-month fixed-term employment opportunity and development programme. The Gills are acting as the ‘base’ of employment for McGlashan who works across a variety of football functions within the club “in order to broaden learning experience.”

The ‘player to coach scheme’ was launched to “encourage, build and support the transition of under-represented black, Asian, mixed heritage men and women, who are PFA members, into football coaching in the professional game so that football at all levels better represents the wider communities in which it is played, enjoyed and serves.”

Former Gills captain Martin, 36, is now playing for Ramsgate in the Isthmian League, where he is also coaching.

Harris said: “It is really important that if we do it (the B team), we do it properly, building it up.

“When I joined the infrastructure wasn’t there and it needed building and I was delighted when Kenny (Jackett) and Andy (Hessenthaler) came in and this is just all part of it.

“If we are having a B team and doing the academy correctly and having a productive line in that, then we need the right pool of coaches as well and ones who have played the game is vitally important.”

Gillingham’s B team played at Phoenix Sports last week and have games lined up against Brentford B and Millwall under-21s along with a match against Folkestone Invicta early next month (October 3).