When striker Bas Savage arrived at Priestfield on a three-month contract at the end of September, little was made of his addition to the Gillingham squad.  He had played in Andy Hessenthaler’s testimonial amongst a flurry of pre-season trialists, but failed to make a lasting impression on a day that was, justifiably, all about the great man.

Often the victim of sarcastic jibes from Gills and opposition fans alike (particularly at the hands of his former supporters at Bristol City last November), ‘Big Bad Bas’ has bided his time and now finds himself a regular in the starting line-up and an ever-growing fans' favourite. Gills manager Ronnie Jepson is a fan too - he's now hoping to keep Savage, 25, at Priestfield until the end of the season.

For a man who had scored only one senior goal in more than 50 senior appearances, Savage's relief - as well as the jubilation on the faces of his team-mates - was clear to see as he bundled in Matty Jarvis’s crossto record his first Gills goal at Cheltenham Town recently. The moonwalk celebration that followed has helped him achieve the cult status he now seems to be enjoying with many Gillingham supporters, and chants of ‘Bas, Bas, Bas Savage’ hardly stopped during the first half at Whaddon Road.

I particularly enjoyed that goal on a personal level, as one of my close friends, a hardcore Cheltenham fan, was at that Ashton Gate match and fired a barrage of insults Bas’s way for weeks after. As I told him after Savage's Cheltenham glory strike, ‘It was always destined to happen‘ - something I had constantly warned him about in the weeks leading up to the game. For making my pal eat his words, I will remember ‘Big Bad Bas’ for as long as I follow the Gills.

With his beginnings at Reading and loan spells with Wycombe and Bury not rendering a goal between them, and with just one for Bristol City, it was clear Bas was never going go out and score 20-plus goals a season. But during his short spell at Gillingham he has impressed enough to be kept on and the great support he has received from the fans, particularly following his goal, will give him a massive lift.

Is Bas Savage a natural goalscorer who can strike a ball from 20 yards without so much as batting an eyelid? He is not.