Ahead of his last game before retirement, Gareth Ainsworth has paid tribute to Sam Vokes as the former Welsh international striker looks to pull on his boots for the last time as a professional.

It will be Vokes’ final ever game when Shrewsbury Town come to MEMS Priestfield this weekend to end the SKY Bet League Two season.

Vokes who netted his very first Football League goal at Priestfield as a teenager for AFC Bournemouth in November 2006 as a seventeen-year-old will end his illustrious career at the same ground this weekend looked for a perfect ending at least scoring wise.

Vokes arrived at Priestfield at the start of the season with his wrist in plaster, will look to end a career that has seen 750 appearances for twelve clubs scoring more than one hundred and twenty goals in a distinguished League career. Including, seventy-eight Welsh caps at full and under-21 level (sixty-four to fourteen split) and a dozen goals including arguably the most remembered being his bullet header for Wales in the Euro 2016 Quarter Final win over the much-fancied Belgians.

Ainsworth was asked about his number nineteen at this week’s briefing and told us, “For someone to have achieved what he has in the game is a rarity! When you think about the millions of people who want to be footballers, the small percentage who actually make it and then go and play in the Premier League scoring the goals he has and the international recognition he did, that percentage becomes tiny, tiny, tiny! Not many people do what Sam Vokes has done in his career, and he is an absolute legend of the game!”

“Some of the posts he’s had (on social media) since the announcement was made have come from some very big names in the game talking about some great battles in the past with some big names with Harry Maguire being one of them! To be held in that esteem who play at the top level and play for their countries – and not just that, the person that he is, he is just an unbelievable guy!”

“And if anyone wants to play for anything on Saturday, play for Sam Vokes and recognise the career that he has as recognise the way that he has conducted himself since he came to Priestfield is exemplary!”

It’s the second time the Gills boss has managed Vokes – the first being at Wycombe Wanderers – and he went on, “To have coached him in these final years… I remember him having a twenty-goal season at Wycombe when we got to the play-off Final against Sunderland at Wembley that was a real special time for Sam, but he has had some good moments here.

“He’s turned thirty-six and wants to call it a day and that’s a heck of trek for him but to be able to be the manager to be his manager on the last day for Sam Vokes, I am very proud and privileged and hope it’s a winning game.”

Asked if as he scored that first professional goal at Priestfield, Vokes might be designated penalty taker, Ainsworth laughed and said, “He might stick himself on pens, though he might have to fight Ronan (Hale) for that…”

“Let’s just strip it all back to say, what a legend Sam Vokes has been through his career and for him to wear a Gillingham shirt at Priestfield on his last day, I think we should all be proud of that!”

Image courtesy of Gillingham FC