Francis Jeffers hopes to continue repaying Leam Richardson’s faith as Stanley visit Gillingham tomorrow.

The ex-England international had been a free agent for most of the season before Richardson signed him on a short-term deal.

But the former £8m man showed his doubters he’s still got it by opening his Accy account with a brace in Tuesday night’s 4-0 win over AFC?Wimbledon.

“Without naming names, a lot of people that believed in me at one time have lost that belief, apart from myself and my family,” said Jeffers.

“I was looking for a club for a few months and people thought I was washed up. I don’t hide away from that, people thought I was finished.

“I’m not, I’ve got loads left to offer, I’m 32. Thankfully Leam gave me an opportunity and I want to repay him because a lot of people had written me off.”

While Jeffers has the chance to put himself in the shop window over the last seven games, he insists keeping Stanley in the league is his priority.

“As a striker, you want to score goals, but it isn’t about that – it’s about this club getting safe as quickly as possible,” he added.

“We need to win matches, it’s not about anyone else. It’s in our hands and that’s all you can ask when you’re down there. The time to panic is when it’s taken out of your hands and you’re relying on other people. Thankfully we’re not doing that at the minute so let’s keep going.”