Earlier this month it was confirmed that on-loan defender Adam Bygrave had signed an extension to his contract, which will keep him at KRBS Priestfield Stadium until the end of the season. The young defender, on loan from Premiership side Reading, has impressed the Gills faithful with some solid performances at the back and, at such a young age, he has been more than a match for some of League One's top strikers. Gillingham's official website caught up with the youngster to chat about his new contract and he was naturally looking forward to the rest of the season:

"Yeah I mean it is great news for me. As soon as I knew about the possibility of signing the extension I took it straight away. I didn't have to think about it for long because I knew that it is the chance to carry on playing first team football and you cannot beat that."

Bygrave made his debut for this Gills against Hartlepool and instantly impressed. For such a young defender he looked comfortable and failed to overwhelmed by the whole experience:

"You can't hesitate in this game because it is so quick and, if you do, then it will leave you behind. When you are on the field you have to take it on the chin and stand up and be counted. I had a few shakey starts when I first joined and I don't think I played that well against Port Vale, but the more games I play, the better I am getting because I am learning with every match. Each game throws something different at you and it teaches you alot about the sort of player you are when you have to make criticial decisions at critical times. I remember, on my debut, that I was taken back a little bit. It was obviously my first time infront of a big crowd. I think there was around 7, 000 people there so it was amazing to get the opportunity to play infront of all those people. I thought I played well and I thought it was a good game but it was made even sweeter by the fact that we got the win. I would have liked a clean sheet but the three points was more important."

With the noticeable absence of veteran central defender Ian Cox, Bygrave has thrived under his responsibility by forming an excellent playing partnership with fellow defender Simon King:

"[Simon] Kingy has helped me through so much since I have been here. He has supported me and helped me where he can and has just been a great player for the club.  He is a bit braver than me and throws himself into every challenge without any fear, which is a fantastic, but rather scary part of his game. He is also fantastic in the air and, even though he is smaller than me, he wins every header against players that are much taller than him."

So, Bygrave has the rest of the season at Gillingham to look forward to and he has his sights set on a play-off position, something that he believes is not out of the question with the amount of talent in the dressing room:

"My personal aim for the rest of my time here is to get as many points as we can and get as high up the table as we can. Ultimately, I would like to see us in the play-off spots because we have the talent here to get on a good run and challenge for it. When I signed for the club I was so impressed with the ambition and of what this club wants to achieve this season and I want to be apart of that, so that is definitely something I want from the rest of the season."  

Bygrave has also had the chance to play under two of England's most talented young English managers, in Steve Coppell and Mark Stimson, and has seen a difference between the two styles of management. But first he discussed the difference between Premiership reserve football and League One first team football:

"To be honest, the crowd is the main thing that I noticed; followed by the fact that you are playing for points and for the chance to get up a table. People's jobs are on the line in league football, whereas in Premiership reserve football, people are just going through the motions. The older pros don't want to be there and, for the youngsters, it is alright but the tempo isn't good enough. It is good to come out on loan because it gives a young player like myself the chance to learn in competitive football and not spend time learning with players that would rather be elsewhere.

Mark has been great to play for. He has kept faith in me and, considering I am a young lad, he gave me my league debut and I enjoying playing under him.Steve does not talk as much to individual players, whereas here, the gaffer comes up and has a little chat with you and helps you through any difficult times you may be having.  However, both managers have been great with me and I have been extremely lucky to have the chance to play for both."

Finally, some fans asked Gillingham's official website to ask about Bygrave's no nonsense approach to his football. Instead of attempting to play himself out of trouble, the young defender mainly opts for the clearing the ball out of danger by hitting it near Row Z:

"Yeah, at Reading they say to you that, if you are not sure, then just get it to safety. I prefer to do that instead of trying to bring it down and risk losing out to a striker, who could then go on to score a goal. It is much better to be safe and put it out for a throw because there is no danger from throw-ins. But it is nice that the fans are noticing me on the field and I hope that I can perform at the best of my ability for the rest of the season and keep some more clean sheets."