GILLS SHARP-SHOOTER
Striker Tom Eaves on reaching the top of the League One scoring charts
THE chance to play regularly and being a bit more selfish – those are two of the key ingredients in Tom Eaves’ rise to the top of the League One scoring charts.
The strapping striker has long been seen as a player with potential, but it’s taken time for him to find a club where he could show his true worth.
It was back in 2010 that Eaves, then 18, joined Premier League Bolton from Oldham. The Liverpool-born hitman spent six years with the Trotters but had only fleeting opportunities to show what he could do.
Instead, he became something of a loan ranger, taking in spells at Bristol Rovers, Shrewsbury (twice), Rotherham, Yeovil and Bury. Then came a season in League two with Yeovil once his Bolton stint came to an end.
Switch
But it was his switch up a division to the Gills in the summer of 2017 that reignited his career. He netted 18 goals in his maiden season in Kent and is already well on his way to beating that total this term.
Heading into the FA Cup weekend, he topped the third tier scoring charts with 11 goals. So what’s made the difference?
“To be honest, one of the key things is just being given an opportunity to play a lot of games,” he said. “The hard work is starting to pay off and I’m reaping what I’m sewing.
“Added to that, at previous clubs I’ve probably overdone a bit of honest running. To be brutally honest, I’ve been a bit more selfish here - which helps the team out if I’m scoring goals.
“I’m going to have a shot when I get the chance, it’s what I’m good at. I’m delighted with how things are going at the moment and as a striker you want to beat how many goals you got last season. I want to get 20 goals and I believe I’m capable of it. If I hit that, I won’t stop.”
Now 26, Eaves knows that he’s approaching what should be his peak years and he’s eager to get back to the top divisions to prove what he can do.
“That should be every player’s ambition,” he said. “I was there when I was young, but I didn’t get an opportunity even when I was playing well.
“That was unfortunate, but I’m not here to talk about the past, I’m here to talk about the present. I have to keep working hard and scoring goals.”
The 6ft 5ins forward is also keen to point out that he is not just a target man.
Stigma
“There’s a big stigma over height,” he said. “Six foot plus strikers are seen as big lumbering giants who win flick-ons, but I like the ball on the ground and to run in behind. I like to try things and be inventive, to use my imagination.
“You start playing like a target man if you call yourself one. The top strikers in the division can play with their back to goal but also down the side.”
It helps that Gills boss Steve Lovell knows how to get the best out of him.
Eaves said: “He gives me a licence to do what I want as long as I stay between the sticks. That works for me as I like to express myself.”
Despite Eaves’ efforts, Gillingham have struggled to hit top gear this term, lying 17th in the table.
“It’s frustrating we haven’t been able to get that consistency,” he added, “but there’s still a hell of a long way to go. We beat the top of the league comfortably (Eaves scored the first as the Gills won 2-0 at Portsmouth last month), so we can do it. It is a cliché, but we just need to keep working hard.”