by Luke Cawdell

Gillingham chairman Paul Scally is already eyeing up the Championship – and believes Martin Allen is the man to take them there.

The Gills will play League 1 football next season – following promotion on Saturday – just one step away from the level they last played at almost a decade ago.

Mr Scally, pictured, said: “What will be interesting and exiting will be seeing how these players cope with League 1 football.

“Most will cope really well, in fact most could go on and play in the Championship. There are a number of teams who have done back-to-back promotions and there is no reason why we shouldn’t as well.

“If you look at the team of 1998-99 with Smith, Hessenthaler, Ashby, Butters and that type, they were a team who could go through two or three divisions and they held their own in the Championship.

“If we can keep it all together and a Premiership club doesn’t come in and whisk Martin away, which is always possible I suppose and if we can keep him here, which I am sure we can, then he is the man who can take us back to the Championship.”

The Gills had won promotion five times before but Saturday’s was the first on home soil and that made it extra special for Mr Scally.

He said: “It was wonderful to do it in front of the fans on Saturday and the last home game of the season, hopefully, we will have clinched the championship. That will be a big party.”