The latest Rainham End hero has now netted in his last two games. But for Gillingham’s new target man, Oli Hawkins, it’s only the start…

Talking to KSN, the striker – or defender – told us about his move to Kent and what it’s like coming to Priestfield as an away player and skipper.

But we started with the question a lot of fans have asked – did the club sign a forward or defender, and which did Hawkins himself prefer?

“I’ve been getting that question a lot the last two years and it is a difficult question,” Hawkins confessed.

“A lot of people probably want to hear me say forward, whilst a lot want to hear me say at the back, but it truly is whatever the team that I’m playing for the style of play, it’s what I’m suited for, so for instance at Mansfield, I preferred it at the back because they were more of a passing team, looking to pass it and I wasn’t really getting involved much.”

“But here, it’s a lot of balls forward, it’s a lot of balls in the box, it’s a lot of set pieces, it’s a lot of a style that suits me down to the ground. So, I love playing up front here!”

“In the last few years, I have to admit that my mind has changed – wherever I’m playing my mind is focused on one or the other and at Priestfield it’s up front. Unfortunately, I don’t think I can answer which one I prefer…”

“I’m in an important part of my life where I have two kids so when this opportunity came up, I’m from London and my contract was nearly up at Mansfield, I do like new challenges and it just felt that it was a really good opportunity with a manager who I know has liked me in the past and I’ve been fond of.”

“With Kenny Jackett in the background who I’ve worked for and the plan that I was told – there were a lot of things that went into it and there were a lot of positive things thinking about it!”

“It was a tough decision to leave Mansfield because I was playing week in, week out and being Captain in a lot of the games, but when you get to a certain age, it doesn’t just boil down to the football, you have to consider your family and your future.”

“I know that the Gaffer has been interested in me in his previous jobs but it didn’t work out before. I knew coming here that he wanted me as a centre forward and that is something that excites me.”

“I enjoyed playing at the back, but when you know that you’re going to a team that plays a style that will suit you up front, I couldn’t really turn it down despite being very comfortable at Mansfield.”

“In my eyes it worked out for the best and now I’m just focusing on the future.”

“The win over Grimsby after we’d lost at Mansfield, was very big. I’d described it to some friends and family before the Mansfield game that as we’d been playing well, you could forget where we are in the table because we were unbeaten in four.”

“But as soon as we lost, I reminded myself that we are actually in a dog fight down near the bottom – it takes a lot out of you after losing a game and forget about it as soon as you can.”

“We focused on the Tuesday and got three points and then we did the same at Rochdale to stay out of the bottom two. Those wins have given us massive confidence going into next Saturday as we know that we are now capable of getting out of the situation and securing a mid-table place come the end of the season.”

“But we are going lose games as we go forward, so we have to make sure that we get over them as quickly as possible to focus on the next game.”

“The supporters are incredible – you wouldn’t think we’re where we are in the table! I know there’s been a new owner/plan/ambitions that’s got them going. But you can tell from previously playing at Priestfield and now playing for them here, there is a large support behind us and when they get going, it really does help and all I can ask is for them to keep trying until the end of the season.”

“As an opponent, it’s tough – I’ve been here a few times. When I came down with Mansfield, the Gills weren’t at their best time of the season but you could tell that they were close to being really difficult to deal with and play against.”

“Since I’ve been here, it is true that you can’t really hear yourself at times when the Rainham End really gets going and that has been really huge for us.”

Picture supplied by Gillingham Football Club.