Former Rangers defender Lee Hodson is struggling to establish himself at League One Gillingham following his summer arrival at Priestfield.
The twenty-seven-year-old right-back had three years at Rangers, spending the final twelve months of his spell at Ibrox on loan at St Mirren before Steven Gerrard finally released him at the end of last season after only twenty-seven appearances for the Glasgow giants.
On putting pen to paper on a two-year with the Gills in the summer, he insisted the standard of football in League One was on a par with the Scottish Premier League and believed the move was not a step down for his career.
As we reported at the time on The Real Efl, this comment caused quite a stir on social media, with many Rangers and Scottish football fans in general fans responding rather wryly if this is the case, the Northern Ireland international might find the standard of football difficult.
It now appears that these fans may have been correct. After starting Gillingham’s first four games, Hodson has not featured since a 1-0 defeat to Coventry City at the end of August, and the Gills have remained unbeaten in all four games since. Indeed, Hodson did not even make the bench for recent clashes with Bristol Rovers and Tranmere.
As reported by Kent online, an injury to Gillingham stalwart Barry Fuller may leave the door open for a weekend return for Hodson when Gillingham entertains League One high-flyers Ipswich Town.
It will be a welcome return to action for Hodson, who is perhaps finding the standard of football in League One a little more challenging than he imagined.
Our View
Oh dear, players should be forever wary of what they say in the media as it can often come back and bit them severely.
It may just be settling in problems, and there is a very long way to go, but the omens don’t look good for the former Rangers man, which will delight many Scottish supporters.
However, the Gills do have a small squad, and with injuries and suspensions, Hodson still has plenty of time to prove his doubters wrong.
Only time will tell if he can rise to the challenge.
