Danny Kedwell returns to Priestfield in the DFDS Kent Senior Cup final as Chatham Town player-assistant manager

Danny Kedwell missed out on a proper Gillingham farewell but tonight's Kent Senior Cup final is an opportunity to leave Priestfield on a high.

Ten years on from scoring the crucial goals to send the Gills to the 2012-13 League 2 title, he’s returning to the ground he loves, this time as player-assistant manager at Chatham Town, who take on Margate for the prestigious county final.

Kedwell left the Gills 18 months after that title success, leaving midway the season and joining non-league Ebbsfleet United. It was a low-key exit for a player who fulfilled a dream, playing and excelling for his boyhood club.

Following his Gills exit he spent three and a half years at Ebbsfleet – winning promotion in the play-offs at the second attempt - had a spell at Havant & Waterlooville cut short when Covid stopped football and a brief period playing in the SCEFL Premier Division with Hollands & Blair before the pandemic halted play again. He was at Cray Wanderers as player-manager but that didn’t last long.

It’s now gone full circle for the 39-year-old, back with Chatham Town, the club where it all began as a youth player. His presence in the team during the run-in helped them to the Isthmian South East title and now he’s hoping to be celebrating at the ground of his home-town club.

“I can’t wait,” he said. “It will be nice to take part - whether I start or not I don’t know - but it will be nice to be back there.

“It will be nice to actually finally get to say goodbye. I still go to watch games and I was there a couple of weeks ago. It will be nice to see some Gills fans there supporting us, it will be great for me.

“It was my childhood club, I loved the place, every day was unreal, just being there.

“I was a bit gutted the way it