Teenage defender Josh Pask insists he’s not at Gillingham to make up the numbers.

The West Ham loanee made his second start for the Gills on Saturday and picked up the man-of-the-match award following the 2-1 win.

Pask is only 18 but is determined to get minutes on the pitch after arriving last week as cover for senior defenders Deji Oshilaja and Max Ehmer.

He said: “I would like to think I would have started from the get-go, which I have.

“There are centre-backs here already but I like to think I can play as well. I have come here to play matches, I don’t want to sit on the bench and hopefully I can continue to do that.”

His performances so far have shown he is capable of edging out his more senior team-mates for a starting role and he enjoyed the weekend victory.

He said: “I was very happy, especially with the team, a 2-1 win was important.

“When that (early goal) went in I felt we would go on and win. They weren’t very special up top. They had the big guy, of course, but I thought we were a lot better.”

Pask bagged a loan move after impressing while playing for West Ham’s development team during pre-season and is relishing the opportunity of a season playing men’s football rather than at under-21 level.

Comparing the two, he said: “There are differences, especially with the physicality and the competitive side of things. Here it is all about the win, and that’s good because that is what I am going to be doing.

“It is good and definitely a different side of playing and I enjoy it. Hopefully I can get a lot of games under my belt now.”