Luke Rooney has spoken of his belief that he can be the answer to Gillingham’s striking crisis after scoring on Saturday.

The 20 year old scored from the spot just minutes before the end of the game to earn Gillingham a point against Accrington Stanley at Priestfield.

Lone frontman Danny Kedwell joined the Gills’ growing injury list after getting crocked by Louis Moult for the penalty and he could now join Adam Birchall on the sidelines.

With Stefan Payne and Dennis Oli yet to find their feet in front of goal, Rooney believes he could be the answer to boss Andy Hessenthaler’s problems by playing up front instead of from wide on the left:

“I love being a goalscorer and if I’m pushed up a bit further from midfield I know I can bring that to the table.

“There’s talk of the boss wanting to bring new players in but I’m ready now to take some of the scoring burden off Keds.”

With Kedwell limping off down the tunnel after winning the penalty, Rooney’s wish may well come true with the Gills set to visit Southend United on Tuesday night.

Hessenthaler is still actively trying to bring in another striker on loan, but that looks unlikely to happen before Tuesday’s trip to Roots Hall.