PAUL SMITH'S arrival in Gillingham's Hall of Fame will be confirmed this weekend when he sweeps the board in the club’s Player of the Year awards.

Gillingham’s skipper is set to establish himself among the club’s all-time greats by winning both the Gillingham Independent Supporters’ Association accolade along with the club’s own award.

Should Smith top the supporters’ poll, when the vote is announced on Saturday, he will become the fourth player in the award’s 33-year history to win it in successive seasons.

He will follow in the footsteps of the late, legendary John Simpson in 1969-70 and 1970-71; Dave Shipperley in 1975-76 and 1976-77 and Richard Green in 1992-93 and 1993-94. Smith first won the trophy in 1998.

More significantly he will become the first player to win the supporters' award three times, a feat not even Simpson, Shipperley, Green, Steve Bruce, Tony Cascarino or Terry Cochrane could manage.

The modest midfielder, who leads out Gillingham in Saturday’s final home match of the season against Division 1 champions Manchester City, is playing down his chances.

He said: “I think there are a lot of players capable of winning the Player of the Year awards.

“Chris Hope has been incredibly consistent. He hasn't missed a match for two seasons which is a phenomenal record. Marlon King is the club’s top scorer with 20 goals after another outstanding season. What a lot of people tend to forget is that he is younger than Nyron who is another player who has done well.

“You look at Paul Shaw and think how well he's played after adapting to our system. He didn't have the best of starts when he first came from Millwall but he's proved a lot of people wrong.

"Every player at every club wants to win the Player of the Year award which is given by supporters and our fans have been able to vote in both polls. If I win I will feel greatly honoured.”

Manchester City manager Kevin Keegan is staying on at Priestfield to make the club’s own presentations afterwards.