Keeper Glenn Morris has entered the Gillingham record books in recent weeks as the oldest ever player to wear Gills colours beating the record that had been held by Andy Hessenthaler for many years and he’s keen to keep going.

Morris overtook Hessie’s record of 40 years 115 days earlier in the season, and therefore stretches the record with every appearance, and on top of all that, has been nominated for League Two’s Player of the Month for September – the result of which is announced on Friday morning. 

Speaking about passing the age record, Morris told us, “You have to be proud of that record. Andy is a legend at this Club and to have taken it off him does feel wrong!”

“I have said that, but I must be proud that the record will stand hopefully for a long time and if your name is on a Club’s honours list, it is always good!” 

“You have got to have the desire to keep playing and if you have not got it, you will fall wayward. I think I have had to adapt and train more as I have gotten older – I think that is what keeps you fit and sharp and as sharp as anyone younger than you, you must do more as an older player, I think.”

“Otherwise, you will not be as quick and as fit as them, so you do have to up your load. That is what has worked for me and then recovering well and having that inner belief in yourself that you can still do it.”

“I do not really look at it,” Morris said, before adding, “I just feel good, and if you feel good is really does not matter about your age.” 

“I do not mind being tagged as a veteran – I think I was thirty-one or thirty-two when I was first labelled with it. I am really, so what can I do? I am happy so…” 

“Goalkeeping has changed two or three times really since I started,” Morris recalled – the Gills stopper made his debut for Leyton Orient in 2001 and has since played almost 600 career games.

He continued, “It is always changing, and you must adapt. Managers and Clubs are looking for different things to what they were. It was literally that you had to be six foot four to be a goalkeeper at the start of my career – you had to get in the team, and you needed a lot of experience as well.”

“I came in early, but it was always being told that you need more experience, or you were too young, whereas now I think managers are a bit more open to the fact that if you are good enough, you are “young” enough and hopefully if you’re good enough, you are old enough as well!”

“Playing out from the back now is coming into the game more and more, and keepers must be able to handle the ball at your feet, you have to.” 

“I can actually remember a reserve game I played in early in my career at Leyton Orient, I played a short goal-kick out and Tommy Taylor was the manager of the first team at the time and he subbed me for playing a short goal-kick – times have changed, I think!”

“That is the difference now, you are looking to try and keep the ball but that is it rather than trying to get the ball forward as far as you can. Has it changed for the better? Probably!” 

Coming right up to date and as the Gills welcome Accrington Stanley to MEMS Priestfield this weekend, Morris said, “We have had a good start, but that is all it is – it is a start!”

“We have a lot of points on the board already and I am sure we would have bitten your hand off for nineteen points from ten games on day one, but you can always look to improve it and that is what we will try to do.”

“We will not get carried away, but, and I know it is boring, but it is the next game and then tick them off getting as many points as we can to see where we are.”