The 27-year-old Australian was set to link up with A-League side Perth Glory this past summer following a stint with Chesterfield but ultimately stayed in England due to family reasons.
After doing a u-turn on a planned return to his native Australia, former Aston Villa midfielder Chris Herd has opted to join League One side Gillingham on a contract until the end of the season.
The 27-year-old utility man previously signed a two-year deal with A-League side Perth Glory in the summer but later terminated the contract by mutual consent just a week before his scheduled arrival due to family reasons.
He has recent experience of League One, having made 23 appearances for Chesterfield last season after leaving Villa on a free transfer at the end of the 2014-15 campaign, and Gills manager Justin Edinburgh believes the three-time capped Australian will prove a big hit back in the English third tier.
“Chris’s versatility will be a big boost for us given the relentless nature of the Sky Bet League One season, and I know fans will love his energy and work ethic,” Edinburgh told Gillingham’s official website. “He brings his Premier League and international experience into the dressing room, which is invaluable.”
Once a highly-rated prospect at Villa, Herd first moved to England in February 2005 to join the West Midlands side’s academy and enjoyed loan spells at Port Vale, Wycombe Wanderers and Lincoln City over the next few seasons before earning his Premier League debut in November 2010.
The versatile midfielder went on to make 42 total appearances for the claret and blues, including 20 starts under Alex McLeish during the 2011-12 campaign, but injuries and inconsistent form meant he made little impact at Villa Park following Paul Lambert’s appointment in the summer of 2012.
His final campaign with the club saw him take in further loan spells at Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic, respectively, but he only featured three times for the Latics before his stint was cut short by a season-ending knee injury.
Then Villa boss Tim Sherwood did offer him the chance to resurrect his career in B6 that summer once he had recovered, but the Perth native decided to reject a three-month contract in the hopes of securing a longer deal elsewhere.
Over a year later, he is still looking for that stability, but Gillingham will hopefully be the place where he finally settles down and gets things back on track.
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