Peter Taylor hopes his team side will be ready to put on a show when the season opens on August 9.

The Gills begin their League 1 campaign away at MK Dons before returning the following Saturday with a home game against Yeovil on August 16.

Boss Taylor said: “It is all about how we prepare and hopefully our new faces will be well in with us by then, knowing exactly what we want to do. We are going to be decent opponents for anyone.

“I think it is about how you play early doors. Ideally you want to play great and get good results, that’s what you want, but I want to be looking at the team at MK Dons on August 9 as if we are looking alright and okay.

“Even if we don’t win the match, we want to have done okay and show that we are looking to be capable of getting enough points to have a good season. That what I am looking at as a manager.

“What you don’t want to be saying after the first game is, ‘cor blimey, we are really up against it here’. I am not saying that happened last year, but with the start, that was probably in people’s minds.

“We know the division is tough and there is never going to be an easy game. MK Dons have lost a couple of players and they will be making a couple of changes and I think it is a very good fixture.

“It is an attractive fixture and a lovely stadium and we got a very good result there at the end of last season. If we can go and repeat the result that would be nice.”

The bookmakers’ favourites for the title next season are Sheffield United and Taylor didn’t disagree.

“I would think Sheffield United and Bristol City would be there or thereabouts, without a doubt,” he said.

“I know Bristol City are looking to recruit well and Sheffield United had a good end to the season with Nigel Clough. Preston would have learned from last year and Peterborough have a chance as well.”

See the full list of fixtures here.