Gillingham fans have voted defender Barry Fuller as their player-of-the-year.

The 34-year-old defender beat leading scorer Tom Eaves to the coveted award, which was presented at the end of season awards on Sunday night.

Fuller’s award caps an impressive return to the club, having joined in the summer with little expectation.

He was initially cover for Luke O’Neill in the right-back berth but he soon showed what he could do and went onto play 39 league games over the season along with another four appearances in cup competitions.

In April he was rewarded with a new one-year deal, keeping him with the Gills until the summer of 2020.

It’s a second spell with the Gills for Fuller, who previously captained them to play-off success in League 2 under Mark Stimson. He played 137 league games between January 2008 and August 2012.

He was released by the Gills following an injury that threatened to end his career but Fuller defied the experts, going onto play a season at Barnet and follow that up with five years at AFC Wimbledon, where he again he lifted the League 2 play-off trophy at Wembley as captain.

He made a surprise return to the Gills last summer, saying he had unfinished business, and in total he has now clocked up 195 appearances for the club.

Striker Brandon Hanlan was also recognised during the evening, taking the young player-of-the-year award.

Hanlan, 21, took his goal tally for the season to nine with the opening goal in Gills’ 3-0 win over Blackpool on Saturday.

Eaves, who scored two of the goals in that win over the weekend, was unsurprisingly handed the goal-of-the-season award following his volley against Portsmouth.

Gills' leading scorer also picked up the players' player-of-the-year award.