Gillingham’s teenage striker Joe Gbode struck twice on his debut for loan side Hastings United.

Gbode walked away with the man-of-the-match accolade too on a good day for the 17-year-old after joining the club before the weekend on a short-term loan deal.

Isthmian Premier side Hastings - whose side includes former player and youth boss Craig Stone in their ranks - enjoyed a 4-1 comeback victory over Brightlingsea Regent on Saturday at their Pilot Field ground.

While the Gills struggled again for goals in League 2 at Carlisle on Saturday, Gbode showed he knew where the net was on his first appearance for his new club, playing 75 minutes and netting twice.

His first goal levelled the scores at 1-1 after finding the bottom corner from the edge of the box and he added another on 69 minutes when driving into the area and hitting the net from a tight angle.

Gbode came off the bench for the Gills during their season opener against AFC Wimbledon and was twice named as an unused substitute by manager Neil Harris before being left out. He’s made four senior appearances for the club, all from the bench. His debut for Gillingham came in last season’s FA Cup and he also played twice in League 1.

He has had previous loan experience at Margate and Folkestone.

Fellow Gills youngster Bailey Akehurst had also recently joined Hastings on loan but his time there has already been cut short by injury. He damaged knee ligaments after playing in their game against Aveley.