Gillingham midfielder Olly Lee free to play in his best position

Gillingham boss Neil Harris hasn’t ruled out a defensive-midfield role for Olly Lee at times this season but knows he’s better placed elsewhere.

Lee was played in an unaccustomed defensive-midfield role last season rather than his more natural position in behind the strikers.

Harris has brought in midfielders Shaun Williams and Dom Jefferies during the summer and that could free up Lee to play further forward, as he did on Saturday in Gillingham’s first pre-season match, at Folkestone.

Harris said: “Ultimately Olly has been an eight or a 10 all of his career until last season.

“We inherited a group that lacked a sitting midfield player and with Olly in that position we kept eight clean sheets in 18 games, it worked to a certain degree.

“He is not at his best when he plays that position but will he play there this season? He may do in certain games. Will he play as an 8, or a 10, yes he will, we see with Olly that he can play in all three positions.”

Williams brings additional experience to the midfield department.

“What you can see with Sean Williams is his control of the football and positional play can be the best in the division,” said the Gills boss.

“Stuart O’Keefe and Dom Jefferies are players who play as an eight but can drop in and play, they can run and their physical attributes are a joke. When you see them on the training pitch, in the running tests they are so are so far infront.

“Olly gives us something with the football that maybe was missing in the 10 or a midfield player, it is important to get that blend in midfield and I feel like I have got it.”