If ever the title of 'Mr Gillingham FC' were to be handed out, surely this man would be on the receiving end of the accolade. However, Andy Hessenthaler's career with the club almost ended before it had even begun in earnest.

Having chosen to leave Watford at the end of the 1995/96 season, a tribunal set fee of £235,000 for a 30-year-old Hessenthaler seemed to have left the transfer dead in the water.

"The Bosman ruling wasn't in at that time, Watford wanted me to stay and made me an offer, I'd been captain there for the previous three years and I wasn't too happy with the terms offered." he said.

"I spoke to a few clubs and was close to going to Charlton, but they were worried about the tribunal and how much the fee would come out at, so it didn't happen there."

A phone call from Gillingham manager Tony Pulis' assistant Lindsay Parsons led to Hessenthaler making the move back to his native Kent for the club's pre-season campaign, while all parties waited on the ruling of the tribunal.

"I remember going to the tribunal with Tony Pulis, after they set the fee they did, he got in the car and told me I'd have to go back to Watford.

"Paul Scally and the club said they'd do it, for them to pay that money was a risk, I feel for the money they paid and the time I spent with the club, I repaid that, but fair play to Tony and Paul for going ahead and making it happen."

Many of the Gillingham faithful during Hessenthaler's 10 years with the club would argue the midfield dynamo repaid his then club record fee several times over, providing priceless memories during a spell as both player and manager, not least on two fateful days at the home of English football.

"I think walking out as a player at Wembley for the first time were my proudest moments as a player, the feeling I got wearing the 'Gills' shirt under the twin towers in front of all those people was very emotional, the first time in particular.

"To get there in the first place was just unbelievable, being the age I was, I never thought I was going to make it to Wembley, it's every kids dream to play there, it's an opportunity to play on the biggest stage.

"We got good coverage as a club, it put us on the map, it was just unfortunate that we didn't get the result that we, and I, felt we deserved, to actually put that amount of effort in, go 2-0 up and then throw it away at the end was heart-wrenching."

Hessenthaler's feat of appearing in two play-off finals is made all the more impressive when taking into account his professional career in game did not begin until the age of 26, when Watford, with one Peter Taylor employed as assistant manager, swooped for the tenacious Redbridge Forest man.

"I was surprised it came along when it did really, I always wanted to be a professional footballer, it's a fantastic life to have, which is why it annoys me when you see some of the younger players, who have so much ability, not appreciating what they've got and falling away from the game.

"I think my link with Peter Taylor was the key, as much as I worked hard and wanted to be a player, I think you need a little bit of luck along the way as well.

"He was my mentor really, the key to what I achieved in the game as a player and as a manager, I learnt a lot when I played under him and took that into my own management as well."

Indeed, it was largely due to Hessenthaler's connection with Taylor that brought the latter to the club in the wake of the penalty shoot-out defeat to Manchester City.

"The club were quite happy for me to take the job on at that stage, but I didn't feel I was ready for it, I didn't have enough experience and was still playing.

"Knowing Peter as I did, and him having been relieved as manager of the England under-21 side, which was scandalous, I made a call to him saying I'd been offered the manager's job at Gillingham, but would he be interested?

"I was absolutely delighted that someone I knew well on the coaching and managing side of things was coming to our club, I knew it would be for the best, not just for me but for the club itself, I got my education that year with Peter, which gave me the opportunity to take the job the year after."

Hessenthaler's role as player/coach under Taylor and alongside Steve Butler proved vastly successful. Along with an unprecedented FA Cup run, the side reached the Division Two play-off final once again, not least thanks to a vital Hessenthaler goal at Stoke City's Britannia Stadium in the first-leg of the semi-final.

"A lot of people talk to me about that, it was the best goal of my career without a shadow of a doubt, and obviously one of the most important, we gave ourselves a really good opportunity to go on and get to Wembley in the second leg, everyone seemed to go away as if we'd won the game!"

The 3-0 win after extra-time on a classic Priestfield night saw the side safely through to Wembley, where another win after 120 minutes, this time over Wigan Athletic, brought promotion to Division One for the first time.

Taylor's instant success with the club didn't go unnoticed at the top table of the game, as Premier League Leicester City came calling, leaving Hessenthaler to take the managerial reigns into unchartered territory.

"It was great that Paul Scally asked me to take over, this time I jumped at it and enjoyed it from day one, it went really well for us.

"You've got to have good staff around you and I had that in Richard Hill, Wayne Jones and Darren Hare on the youth side of things, we had good people."

After three years of consolidation in the division under player/manager Hessenthaler, including an 11^th place finish in 2003, the club narrowly escaped relegation just 12 months later.

"Getting the club into 11th place in the Championship against some really big clubs was a proud moment for me as a player and manager."

"It got harder and harder to get the results in that division because the league itself got harder and harder, financially we just couldn't compete with some of those clubs, it took its toll in the end."

Just a few months into the following season, Hessenthaler resigned from his position as manager, he remained with the club in a playing capacity until signing for League Two Barnet in January 2006.

In his first season back in management, he led Dover Athletic to promotion from the Isthmian League Division One South as champions, and they repeated the trick this year to win the Premier Division and reach the Blue Square South.

"Dover are a very big non-league side, the chairman is very ambitious and wants to get them back into the Conference and I'm enjoying being part of that.

"It was very difficult when I left Gillingham, it took a bit of time to come to terms with it because I'd spent most of my career there, but these things happen for a reason and I had to move on.

"I still miss it to this day, I go back when I can, obviously running things at Dover as I do at the moment, we also play at weekends, but if I ever get an opportunity to see the people at Gillingham and watch the game, then I do, whenever I go back I get a really warm welcome.

The great man's testimonial against Premier League side West Ham United drew a crowd of over 8,000 supporters, providing yet more evidence of his eternal popularity among Gillingham fans in no uncertain terms.

"They were fantastic, it was a great day all round for me and my family, to see the amount of fans who came out to say thank you was great, it was another emotional day for me, but it was great to see that amount of fans turn out and show their appreciation for my 10 years at the football club, it was a nice send off for me.

"Whenever people talk to me about Gillingham, I always refer to the club as 'my club', I'll always do that, wherever I go and whatever I do in football, Gillingham will always be my football club.