By Phill Catterick

Simon King’s request to go out on loan to gain some valuable first team experience didn’t come as a surprise to a lot of Gills fans, but his choice of club may have raised a few eyebrows.

Simon King - pic by Ed Boyden

Plymouth Argyle have taken the centre back on loan for a month, and his first game was against Burton Albion on Saturday at the Pirelli Stadium. To be honest he couldn’t have picked a worse week to join the club as many senior players considered striking before the game in protest of the failure to receive their wages in full, a scenario they have not experienced since late last year.

Reportedly they agreed to play with a percentage of their salary, and King lined up alongside former Leeds player Simon Walton in the heart of the Argyle defence, with the Gills loanee wearing the number 5 shirt, the same number he is assigned at the Priestfield.

Despite their problems on and off the field, the positive part of his move is that he is virtually guaranteed a place in the starting line-up as manager Peter Reid is stretched in terms of the players available to him.

Early on the 28-year-old made his presence felt with a few hard fought headers and good tackles on Albion strikers Calvin Zola and Justin Richards. He was perhaps fortunate not to give away a penalty in the first half, but the referee deemed that the defender had made contact with the ball before the player.

The first goal came just before the half time whistle with Justin Richards smashing home a well taken left foot volley beyond keeper Jake Cole, who will be disappointed with the nature of the 2nd goal after failing to deal with a long throw, leaving Calvin Zola with the task of tapping home.

King came off on 72 minutes, and he will be pleased with the run out he had considering the injuries he’s been through and being frustrated with the lack of game time at Gillingham. His determination and work rate could not be questioned, but the affect he has on his new squad members will inevitably come with more games.

As he settles in I’m sure he’ll be an integral part of the Argyle team in the short-term as they look to move forward and gain vital points, and I wouldn’t bet against him staying for a bit longer as helps the club through a very difficult period.

They are now bottom of the Football League with just the one point recorded this season, but Gills boss Andy Hessenthaler will no doubt be pleased that one of his best defenders is finally getting some minutes under his belt, but whether he’ll force his way back into the starting eleven at the Priestfield is yet to be seen.

King’s first home game comes next week when Argyle take on Port Vale, and we’ll be keeping you well updated with his progress right here at Kent Sports News.