Gillingham manager Martin Allen has admitted that he is unsure what to expect this season.

Never before has the current Gills boss led a team to a higher division and he can’t wait for the action to begin.

The Gills kick-off their League 1 campaign on Saturday at home to Colchester.

“I don’t think any of us know what to expect,” admitted Allen. “I’ve never taken a team up into another division, so it’s new to me.

“How are these players going to cope with the next division? How are the opposition going to cope with us? It’s so exciting and I can’t wait for it to start.”

Last season the Gills targeted promotion and an ambitious 90-point haul. Expectations will be lower this time around but Allen and his team won’t be chasing anything other than success.

He said: “I knew last year we would get promoted. I said that from day one. That was obvious.

“We have got to challenge and we have got to go again and have that self belief, that confidence and that physical capability, physically and mentally to cope and deal with it and make our mark on the division.