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Gillingham’s fans will need to be patient before they see the best of striker Lewis Walker, according to boss Neil Harris.
Walker, son of former England centre-back Des Walker, came off the bench in their goalless draw against Walsall on Saturday and almost made an instant impact at Priestfield.
Having come on in the 86th minute, he out-muscled Walsall's defence before seeing his shot hit the post - the closest either side came to getting a winner.
Walker hasn’t played much football in England. Limited chances at Derby and QPR were followed by a loan stint at Aldershot in the National League.
Time in Italy has helped his development but Harris knows the player has some work to do before he is used to League 2 football in England.
“I think you saw on Saturday, just from that cameo appearance [what he’s capable of],” said Harris, whose team have scored three goals this season in six matches in all competitions.
“What I’ve said is he’s 24 but he’s not played the games that a 24-year-old should - certainly not in English football. So I have to respect that and understand he's going to be behind the lads around his age.
“So we are working really hard on the training pitch, just to get him up to speed with what’s needed in League 2.
“But I certainly see some elements of his game that we really, really like.”
At the other end of the pitch, right-back Cheye Alexander came into a new-look Gills defence and put in a solid display on his full league debut.
Harris said: “He brings experience. He has been patient.
“In football, if you don’t look like you can keep a clean sheet with a back four, then you have to play a back five. That’s as honest as I can be about it.
“We didn’t look like [in] the last couple of games a team that was going to keep a clean sheet.
“So I’m mindful of that and it was important I was bold enough to make the change and honest enough with my players to make the change. Credit to the group for the clean sheet.”
