Boss Justin Edinburgh accepts he will probably lose two of Gillingham’s key men this summer.

The Gills failed in their bid to make it into the play-offs and that means both top scorer Bradley Dack and centre-back John Egan are likely to depart.

Both have been pivotal in Gills’ season, which up until recently had seen them punching above their weight in the top four.

A dip in results and defeat to Millwall at Priestfield on Sunday saw Gillingham finish ninth in League 1, having topped the table several times during a campaign that had promised so much.

“We haven’t been able to get to where we hoped,” said Edinburgh.

“It was a big dream for us to be competing at that top end, with what our budget is compared to some of the other teams at this level.

“It was a dream and we really believed we could fulfill it, but when you don’t we will reflect and it looks like we will lose one or two.

“I hope those will be the only two and the ones that we want to keep will stay.”

An offer remains on the table for former Sunderland defender Egan, who will be out of contract this summer, while Dack looks destined for at least Championship football – with Premier League Crystal Palace keen to tie up a £2.5million deal.

Edinburgh will be on the hunt for their replacements.

“That is my job,” he said. “A lot of the players I brought to the club have played a big part in what we did well this season. We go again.

“The ones we lose we have to replace, if we are to find another Bradley Dack and John Egan, that is what we have to do. That is the exciting time of being a manager in the summer."