Gillingham's players will spend this weekend in France but new boss Martin Allen insists the trip will be no holiday.

The Gills depart for France on Thursday and will be training from 7.30am every day, with triple sessions planned, as Allen looks to get his squad in prime condition.

A pre-season match had been in the pipeline for the visit to Le Touquet, in northern France, but the Gills were unable to find suitable opposition and will be instead concentrating fully on getting fit.

Allen (pictured) said: “The trip will be good. It could be anywhere in the world really because it’s a training camp. We will be training three times a day, first session 7.30am, second session 10.30am and third session 4pm.

“It certainly isn’t a holiday, it’s a full-on training camp. We have to improve the levels of fitness and the levels of discipline. It’s a disciplined hard working trip that we are going on.”

The Gills return at the start of next week ahead of their first pre-season match at Dartford on Saturday.

To help get his side in shape, Allen has turned to Niall Clarke - head of sports science at Premier League champions Manchester City.

He is working with the Gills on a consultancy basis, as a friend of the new manager.

“We have been taking on board further information from people and learning,” said Allen.

“He is hopefully going to help us a little with the training and the physical work with the squad. Right across the whole range he will be overseeing what we will do. We couldn’t afford him permanently but he is coming in on a consultancy basis out of friendship.

“That will be good for James Russell (Gills’ conditioning coach) and it takes him onto another level, as he is looking to improve.”

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