Chairman Paul Scally celebrates Gillingham's promotion Picture: Matthew Reading

by Matthew Panting

Chairman Paul Scally insisted Gillingham should set their sights on a return to the Championship after winning promotion on Saturday.

Victory at Wembley meant Gills’ stay in League 2 ended after one year, and Mr Scally believes there is no reason why they cannot compete well next season.

"We’ve got a strong side and a strong club that can quite easily maintain League 1 football," he stated.

"Medway has seen that it’s got a great football club that can go places.

"It’s (League 2) not the league anyone wants to be in because it’s horrible, some of the games we have to play. There’s virtually no money in it, we struggle to make ends meet and the fans still expect Championship football.

"There’s a lot of teams that just bang the ball up and it never touches the ground. It’s difficult for us competing in this division.

"I think the club could be quite comfortable in the Championship and that’s where we want to try and get to in the first instance.

"We could sustain Championship football and if we do get there then we’ll have a better chance of staying there than last time."

Mr Scally went through a rollercoaster of emotions before Simeon Jackson’s last-gasp goal gave Gillingham a ticket to League 1 next season.

"I don’t know how I feel really," said Mr Scally. "I’m ecstatic and emotionally drained. I’m proud of the team, the manager and the fans.

"It’s not enjoyable, I could have quite easily sat inside and not watched any of it and waited until the end but that sort of defeats the object of it.

"To score in the last minute is the way to plan it but if I knew that at the start of the game then I wouldn’t have been so tense for 89 minutes of it!

"The fans always support us. People underestimate our supporters. They fill up away games, through thick and thin, even when times were difficult they stuck in there and they believe in this team."

Don't miss the 16-page Wembley souvenir special supplement in Monday's Medway Messenger