Gillingham midfielder Andrew Crofts has been voted Player of the Year and Away Player of the Year by GISC members.

The 22-year-old, who made his Gills debut at the age of 16 appearing as a substitute in a 3-0 defeat against Watford at Priestfield, has made 44 appearances for the Gills this season scoring 9 goals - including 4 in his previous 7 appearances.

The GISC Player of the Year and Supporter of the Year awards

Midfielder Mark Bentley and striker Matthew Jarvis finished second and third respectively.

A product of the Gillingham youth system Andrew turned professional in the summer of 2000. He made his way through the ranks making his debut at home to Watford in 2001 at the age of 16 years 337 days, just eight months into his training scheme with the club.

Andrew celebrates after scoring a vital goal

Andrew has been at the heart of the Gills midfield for the entire season and is seen by manager Ronnie Jepson and the majority of supporters as a key player in the current Gills squad. His end of season form, which has seen him score 4 goals in 7 appearances, proved what a good player he has become and he is the worthy winner of the GISC Player of the Year and GISC Away Player of the Year awards.

The Away Player of the Year was voted for by supporters who travelled to Bournemouth on the GISC coach.

 
The GillsISC Player of the Year trophy (left) and Andrew's individual award (right)

Nark Bentley in action for the Gills

He has been likened to some as an "Andy Hessenthaler style" player who likes to get stuck in and commands the middle of the park. He has certainly impressed the Gills faithful in his first season at Priestfield - let's hope he keeps up the performances next term.

Having been named in the Professional Footballers' Association 2006/2007 League One team of the season he is a quick and skilful player who plays very much in the style of a traditional winger.

Since making his first team debut as a substitute against Sunderland in November 2003 Matt has played in a number of positions ranging from playing on the wing to being a striker.

Matt in action against Tranmere Rovers

This season he has been most effective on the wing where he has used his pace and skill to torment defenders and catch the eye of a number of clubs including Nottingham Forest, Plymouth Argyle, Charlton Athletic, Watford, Newcastle United and Stoke City.

Unfortunately a calf injury limited Matt's appearances over the past couple of months and he recently returned as a second half substitute during the 1-1 draw against Bournemouth at the Fitness First Stadium.

Matt's contract expires in the summer and after his agent rejected a £650,000 offer from Nottingham Forest in April it is believed that the 20-year-old could have played his last game for the Gills with any transfer fee being decided by a tribunal.

Season Stats: Played 38 (1 sub), Goals 6, Yellow Cards 1.

All trophies will be presented to the players above as soon as possible.

The Full Results

All GISC members received a Player of the Year voting form in the post asking them to name their top three players this season.

Each player received 3 points for every first place vote, 2 points for a second place vote and 1 point for each third place vote. The final points totals were:-

GISC Supporter of the Year

The GISC Supporter of the Year award is decided by the GISC Executive Committee after receiving nominations from GISC members and Gillingham supporters.

This year the GISC are delighted to announced that Keith Pestell has been awarded the GISC Supporter of the Year award.

Keith, who keeps fans all over the world updated with his unofficial GillsConnect.com website which he has run for the previous 7 years with joint publisher Alan Liptrott, currently has a season ticket in the Rainham End at Priestfield and is a regular face at away games.

GISC Chairman Gary Liptrott (left) presents Keith Pestell with his Supporter of the Year award

The 28-year-old puts a lot of his spare time into organising the GISC away travel, the popular GISC quiz nights and has also been the editor and creator of the new "Out of the Blue" Gills supporters magazine this season.

He is also chairman of the InterGills FC football team who he plays for on a Sunday morning in the Medway Messenger Sunday Football League.

Talking to the GISC after receiving the award Keith, who set-up the very first Gillingham FC official website, said: "I am surprised and delighted to win the GISC Supporter of the Year award. The website is a hobby which I run in my spare time, although with work and a social life it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the time to keep the site updated."

When asked about his memorable moments form the past season Keith added: "Ronnie Jepson has done well with a limited budget although some of the games are more memorable than others! Big defeats at Oldham, Millwall and Carlisle aside the game which stands out is the 3-2 victory over Tranmere Rovers - being 2-0 down after 5 minutes I though it was game over but by half time we were leading 3-2."

"With 8 or 9 players out of contract in summer our performances next season will depend on who Ronnie keeps and who he manages to sign during the summer. Let's hope we have a memorable season and, who knows, maybe challenge for promotion to the Championship."

Gillingham FC Official Awards

The official Gillingham FC awards were presented in the Great Hall at Priestfield on Saturday evening. The winners were:-

Photos and further information can be viewed on the Gillingham FC official website here.