Former Rangers striker Andrew Dallas linked to Gillingham after ending the season on loan at National League play-off finalists Chesterfield from Solihull Moors

Gillingham are being linked with an in-demand striker from the National League.

Scottish-born forward Andrew Dallas scored 21 goals in the top-tier of the non-league game last season after joining Chesterfield in March from Solihull Moors.

He played for Chesterfield in their National League play-off final against Notts County, scoring an early penalty at Wembley, but seeing his side miss out on a place in the Football League after losing in a shoot-out after a 2-2 draw.

Dallas is out of contract at Solihull but the National League side would be due compensation because he is under the age of 24.

Chesterfield appear to be in pole position to land the frontman – having scored seven goals in 14 appearances for them. The National League side are warming up for the new season in Portugal. They have just signed experienced striker Will Grigg.

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The Gills, however, have already taken Jonny Williams after Bradford City seemed certain he was joining them.

Gills’ head of recruitment Andy Hessenthaler knows all too well how potent Dallas can be. When manager at Dover he watched on as the front-man put five goals past his side.

Dallas started his career at Rangers but never made the first team and ended up playing south of the border with Cambridge United, where he spent most of his time with the EFL side on the bench.

He found his goal-scoring form at non-league Weymouth in the second half of the 2020/21 season, netting 12 goals in 25 league appearances and earning himself a move to Solihull in the summer of 2021.

It was there that he hit all five goals in Solihull’s 5-0 win over Dover – just a week after scoring a hat-trick in an FA Trophy tie at Southport.

He ended the 2021/22 season with 23 goals – and defeat in the play-off final at the London Stadium against Grimsby – and that scoring form infront of goal continued the following campaign, leading to his loan move at promotion-chasing Chesterfield where he declared his intent to get back into the Football League.

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Solihull boss Neil Ardley – who must know the forward is on his way out of the club – said: “Dallo has been brilliant for us in the last two seasons in which he’s been top goalscorer in both. He’s always shown a fantastic attitude and we’ll just have to see what he wants to do next season now.”

With a contract offer made to Dallas, Solihull are at least entitled to compensation.

The Gills are on the hunt for another striker and have been strongly linked to Cheltenham forward Alfie May. He wouldn’t come cheap, however, as he is still contracted to the League 1 side.

Ayr United forward Dipo Akinyemi is another to have been linked with a move to Gillingham.

Gillingham already have a solid base for the coming season and Harris is looking for just a few new additions, saying they are after “a centre-forward, a centre-half and a wide player, maybe something else different somewhere.”