LUKE FREEMAN became the youngest player ever to appear for Gillingham after making his first team debut on Saturday.

The 15-year-old from Dartford also became the youngest player to appear in the FA Cup beyond the qualifying rounds.

He was a late substitute in Gillingham’s 2-1 defeat at Barnet.

Billy Hughes had previously held the record of being the youngest ever Gills player after taking to the field aged 15 years and 275 days over 30 years ago.

Freeman’s age on Saturday was 15 years and 233 days and the young striker is someone manager Mark Stimson feels can go a long way.

“He’s got ability,” said Stimson, who brought the teenager on as an 80th minute substitute for Efe Sodje.

“I saw him play in the youth game on Monday and he’s got a fantastic first touch which impressed me. He’s trained with the first team squad and didn’t look out of place.

“With Chris Dickson missing from the starting line up we were a bit short on the bench to get a goal if we needed one. The kid came on for 20 minutes and he didn’t really look out of place. He’s got a future.”

For the best indepth coverage of Barnet v Gillingham see Monday's Medway Messenger