Gillingham full-back Remeao Hutton has been challenged to add some David Beckham-like precision to his deliveries.

Hutton’s crossing ability is a key tool for the Gills - one of the attributes that prompted them to sign him - and assistant boss Richard Dobson is keen for the 27-year-old to keep on improving.

“He's a very important player and he's playing with confidence at the moment,” Dobson said.

“I like Rem a lot. He's a bright lad. He's learning. He wants to learn.

“He puts a lot of crosses in and hopefully now we can just teach him to be the one that puts it right on the plate for people.

“He throws a lot of balls in the box but the next step for him in his game is to be that David Beckham-like cross where you put it on someone's head and say go on and hit the back of the net.

“I love Hutton to bits. He's a key player for us and I think he's got a real good future.”

Those comments came after Saturday’s game where the Gills put in a staggering 51 crosses as they attempted to break open a stubborn Cheltenham defence. Thirteen were deemed as accurate according to the stats, with Hutton having a 20% success rate.

The previous highest crossing figure in the season was 38, which had come in the last home game, a 1-0 defeat to Harrogate Town. Gillingham are keen to make those opportunities count.

Another high cross count came in the game at Bromley, which ended 2-2, and Hutton got an assist that day, a long throw converted by big striker Josh Andrews.

Hutton has, however, already shown this season what he can do and what a quality cross can produce, sending in a perfect delivery for Andrews to head home against Notts County last month, a crucial moment in a 1-0 win.

“It was a great move,” said manager Gareth Ainsworth at the time.

“What a great cross from Remeao and he's been practising those.

“I've told him that his crossing needs to improve and he's gone, ‘Right, I'll do it’. What a cross, what a header.”

Hutton joined the Gills in January 2024 for an undisclosed fee from Swindon Town and has made the right-back/wing-back spot his own, an ever present with 82 appearances now for the club.

Stephen Clemence was head coach at time of his signing and said: “He is an athletic player who likes to get forward and his crossing from wide areas is superb.”

Hutton has worked hard on his crossing, describing previously how a spell out of the starting line-up at Stevenage led to extra time spent brushing up on his technique.

“I had to work on it,” he said. “When I was at Stevenage I was in and out of the team.

“I was outside practising, doing my extras, and the manager (Alex Revell) had to drive past the (training) pitch. I used to stay outside until he went home so he would see me every day.

“When it got dark, I would stay out with the yellow balls!”