by Matthew Panting

Gillingham return to pre-season training on Thursday with manager Mark Stimson (pictured) vowing to keep his players on the ball.

The Gills, who are renowned for their fitness work under the guidance of Danny Ellis, will have the footballs out straight away.

In a bid to hit the ground running in their League 1 opener against Swindon on August 8, Stimson stressed that fitness and ball-work need to go hand in hand.

"On Thursday and Friday we’ll get the balls out and make sure that their touch is there," said Stimson.

"It’s something that you need, and we’ll be getting the balls out straight away.

"We’ll do some running tests on Saturday, have Sunday off, and then we’ll have a nice full week to work with them."

Stimson, who has already stated that the improved playing surfaces in League 1 will suit his squad, believes that retention of the ball will be key to how Gillingham fare this season.

"The ball is such an important thing," he added. "We’re in a tougher division next season and it’s important that we keep the ball as it will be harder to get it off the opposition.

"That’s why we’ll have the balls out in the first 10 minutes of the session."

Fitness should not prove a problem for many of Gillingham’s squad with eight players - including new signing Kevin Maher - joining Ellis for a training session last week.