Gillingham FC: Mark Bonner assessment of recruit is hugely positive as three key traits outlined - View | OneFootball

Gillingham fans’ hopes for the addition of more firepower during the summer transfer window have been addressed early, with the club announcing the arrival of former Crewe Alexandra striker Elliott Nevitt. And, if manager Mark Bonner's assessment is any guide, Gills fans have good reason to be excited ahead of the new season.

Nevitt, who hit 16 goals in League Two last season as Crewe made it all the way to the play-off final, turned down the offer of a new deal at Gresty Road to head south and sign for Mark Bonner, who spoke in glowing terms about his first acquisition as Gills’ new first-team manager.

Gills should be excited at Elliott Nevitt signing

As he heaped praise on his new striker, Bonner highlighted three key traits that could make Nevitt a firm favourite with the Priestfield faithful.

"We have signed a striker who is coming off the back of a really successful campaign and gives us someone who has shown consistent ability to cause defenders problems with his strength, mobility and work ethic," he told the club’s official website.

The three traits highlighted by Bonner – strength, mobility and work ethic – suggest that Nevitt has the sort of qualities that have made players firm favourites with the Gills fanbase over the years. They're also the qualities that have been missing from the forward line recently. Of course, the other, critically important, thing that has been absent from the attack has been the ability to score goals. But in Nevitt, Gillingham now appear to have a man who knows where the net is, with the former Crewe and Tranmere man scoring twice as many league goals as any Gills player could muster last season.

Nevitt is far from a one-trick pony when it comes to the types of goals he scores, too. Bonner highlighted Nevitt's ability to score goals "in a variety of ways," and a glimpse at some of his strikes for Crewe last season backs up that assessment. Whether it's tapping in from close range, outpacing a back line to finish coolly, or thrashing a long-range strike into the top corner, Nevitt appears to have the ability to cover all the bases you'd want for a centre forward.

"I’m excited to work with him. I have been impressed by his ambition and drive in the time we’ve spent together, and in his actions to be joining us."

Nevitt’s forward play saw him score a range of different types of goal over the course of his season, as he helped fire Crewe into the play-off places last season. However, his season ended in disappointment as “The Railwaymen” lost out to Crawley Town in the League Two play-off final at Wembley. With Nevitt’s contract expiring in the summer, Crewe offered the 28-year-old forward a new deal, but the former Tranmere man opted instead to embark on a new chapter with the Gills.

Gillingham may now have a strike partnership

The addition of Nevitt could see Bonner pair him with January signing Josh Andrews, who shook off early injury niggles to produce some promising performances down the stretch for the Kent side.

Andrews' arrival in January may not have given the team the impetus they needed last season as he spent a lengthy spell on the sidelines after his signing. But his signing from Birmingham City was one with an eye to the future, with the 22-year-old looking to have plenty of potential as a strong, mobile target man. Now, with the arrival of Nevitt, the Gills may have found an ideal foil for Andrews.

A Nevitt-Andrews front pairing would certainly add some much-needed grunt up front, with six-foot-six target man Andrews and hard-running six-foot strike partner Nevitt looking like a strong, physical front two on paper. It's been a long time since the Gills had a genuine one-two punch up front, but in Andrews and Nevitt, they may now have exactly that.

Gillingham surprised fans with “kit personalisation” video

The signing of Nevitt wasn’t initially announced with much fanfare. Instead, Gillingham took a different approach as they used a mundane-looking video about personalising replica shirts to unexpectedly unveil Nevitt’s arrival at Priestfield.

It’s the latest example of the Gillingham FC video team coming up with creative ways to entertain the fans online when the club has big news to share.

Last season, they invited fans to a kit unveiling and surprised them with new signing Jonny Williams, and in another video, got the club's owner, Brad Galinson, involved as they spoofed six-foot-six striker Andrews’ height. Now they’ve used replica shirt printing as a smokescreen for announcing their latest signing, with Nevitt unveiled as the first new arrival of the summer at Priestfield.

Most recently, the video team travelled the length up and down the country to find some of the heroes of the club's play-off-winning team of 2000 for the launch of the club's throwback away kit for 2024/25.

Elliott Nevitt tells Gills fans what they can expect next season

In his first sit-down interview with the club, Nevitt explained how he plans to help bring more goals to Priestfield in the coming season, with his comments sure to be music to the ears of the Gills faithful.

“I’d say I’m a player who gives everything, 100 percent, every time I go on that pitch,” he said.

“I’m a striker, I like to score goals, I like to create chances and, especially this season, I scored a lot of goals. Hopefully, I can bring that to Gillingham and score even more goals next year.

“I’m really looking forward to it. I know that I believe in myself enough that I’m going to score goals, no matter where I am. And, coming down to Gillingham, I can’t wait for my first game, my first goal, and I’ll just keep going from there.”

If he can hit the ground running, establish a partnership with Andrews, and deliver the sort of goal haul he managed at Crewe last season, the Gills will look a far more dangerous proposition up front in 2024/25. That is hugely exciting.