Celtic Lennoxtown graduate Scott Robertson has had a fine season with Gillingham so far, but unfortunately missed their match at the weekend due to a hamstring tweak.
Robertson is spending the campaign on loan with the League One side under Celtic-daft manager Steve Evans. The move has led to a consistent run of games for the youngster, who has now featured in nine of their 15 matches since he made the switch.
However, in recent weeks, the Celtic youngster has seen his game-time dry up ever so slightly as the club navigates a hamstring tweak that he’s picked up. A few knocks have crept into Robertson’s campaign which appears to have taken him out of Gillingham’s starting XI over the past month. This led to him not being involved whatsoever against Woking at the weekend.
Gills assistant manager Paul Raynor has been explaining why Robertson wasn’t in the squad, and has revealed that the club is looking to be cautious as he battles with a slight hamstring tweak.
As quoted by Kent Online, Raynor said: “He tweaked his hamstring a little bit.
“He has played a lot of football. He had a little bit of fatigue in his hamstring so we erred on the side of caution with Scott. He might be right Tuesday but we have a couple of weeks to get him ready if he isn’t (for the next league game, against Charlton a week Saturday).”
A minor setback but Robertson must keep pushing on
Over the course of October, Robertson struggled to shake off the injuries as he didn’t play a part in four of Gillingham’s eight matches. Two of them also saw him get no more than 25 minutes either. The last month has been a touch tricky for the midfielder when it comes to consistency.
But overall he’s had a fine breakthrough campaign as he finally gets to grips with life as a senior player. Remember, this is Robertson’s first full season playing regular first-team football, and he appears to be thriving. When fit, he’s consistently been in Evans’ plans, and that looks like being the case when he returns from his hamstring tweak.
Neil Lennon and Celtic will be pleased that Gillingham aren’t being too risky with their player either. The English outfit have shown some respect for both the club and the player by refusing to simply toss him in and risk aggravation.
As for the league table itself, Robertson’s Gills sit 13th and eight points behind a playoff spot. Even at this early stage, it looks a tricky ask for them to sneak into one of those spots before the season ends. But Robertson’s main task here is simply to get more experience of senior football, something that he’s clearly been doing.
He now has a glorious chance to develop that even further over the Christmas period. Gillingham have as many as 11 games between now and the end of 2020. That’s an incredible amount, and a big opportunity for Robertson to really pick up a head of steam.
His move to the League One club has been a successful one so far as he continues to be selected when fit. Overcoming his knocks and kicking on before the new year must now be his main priority.
In other news, Celtic’s following in Scandinavia appears to be growing thanks to a key summer move.
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