It’s been frustrating to have got injured so early in the season but it’s looking quite promising now.

The good thing is it’s not as bad as first thought.

Injuries are part of the territory as a footballer, you do pick them up, sometimes you can play through them and sometimes you can’t.

I felt my hamstring in the game against Burton and Gaz the physio said there was no point trying to carry on because I would make it worse. We caught it before it got to a stage where I could be out for a long time.

As a footballer you don’t want to come off for anything, you play through whatever you can, but the advice was right.

I am now outside running with the physio and hope to be back very soon.

I worked hard over the summer to stay fit, I am one of those who puts on weight if I don’t work, so I have to keep on it.

Some can relax for eight weeks and they are fine, they get away with it, I hate those people! I have to be on it all the time but it doesn’t make coming back for pre-season any easier, it never gets easier!

The only thing with missing out now is that it’s quite busy and you miss a lot of games by being out two or three weeks, which is frustrating, but it is just one of those things.

I joined the club in the summer from Wimbledon where I felt I didn’t really have the game-time that I wanted. The travelling was also a bit of a killer as well.

This is a lot closer to me. I live just across the Dartford Bridge, which isn’t too bad most days, but other than that it is pretty simple. I felt that maybe it was time for a new challenge.

I did have a lot of love there at Wimbledon, through a lot of people, but I just felt it wasn’t there with the manager.

In the summer I met the Gillingham manager and got a good feel for the place. I knew a few of the players from before. I had been at QPR as a youngster with Max (Ehmer) and Josh (Parker). I spoke to them about the club before joining.

I don’t think you go into any job or situation blind. I knew people around the place and heard good reviews. After speaking to the manager, his ideas were the same as mine, which does help.

It was good to have Barry Fuller coming here too, I get on really well with him. When we were at Wimbledon we used to car share as well and I am close with him.

It was an easy decision for me to sign here and it came about it early. I was surprised just how quick it was.

Everything was fine, it felt right, I could have maybe weighed up other options but I have a young child, I didn’t want to move too far, it fitted my life, it’s a big club, a good one and I thought why not?

Read more from Dean in this week's Medway Messenger newspaper