Striker Tom Nichols didn’t have to think long when asked if he would celebrate a goal against his former team Crawley Town this weekend.

Nichols made it three goals from three appearances for the Gills during a thrilling draw at Swindon on Saturday. It’s been a terrific start to his Gills career since making the switch from relegation rivals Crawley a month ago.

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The striker will now be looking to make it four in a row when he meets his old team at Priestfield.

He said: “I will celebrate, nothing against the club or the fans, I had a really good rapport with the fans there.

“I like scoring goals, I have had times in my career where I have not scored goals so I will always celebrate a goal, that is what I am there to do, there is nothing better than seeing fans celebrate your goals. I won’t go over the top but I will celebrate.”

Nichols was the first signing of the new era at Gillingham under American Brad Galinson. Crawley’s co-owner said they were okay selling their star man, using his height and age as a reason to appease fans who questioned the decision.

The Gills striker made reference to that in a post on instagram after scoring on his debut in a 2-0 win over Hartlepool United. “Good job there’s no height restrictions in this side,” he quipped.

Nichols was avoiding any more digs when speaking after the 3-3 draw against Swindon, having set up Gills’ opener and netting one himself.

“Whatever they said when I left, it is what it is,” he said.

“I don’t have anything to prove. I have to keep playing the way I am. I am not going into the game with any extra motivation, I have already got that inside me.

“It's just another game that we have to pick up three points because they are down there as well. I am looking forward to the game.”

It’s three goals - two with his head - and two assists from his first three games for the Gills and he’s yet to complete 90 minutes as the management go easy on a player that had been without a game for almost two months before making his Priestfield debut.

He had been left out of the side at Crawley after serious interest came in for him. It’s been a dream move to the Gills so far.

“It couldn’t have gone much better,” said the striker. “It is a real good feel about the club and I am loving every minute of it.

“Everyone is excited, I could see that from the moment I walked in. The fans can can feel it, we can feel it, there is a lot of love around at the moment and rightly so, it is an exciting time to be around this club, we just have to keep going and keep our status in the Football League.”

The Gills were bottom of the league when Nichols signed on but he knew what was coming following the takeover of the club. Seven other signings have been made since - with more set to follow on the final day of the transfer window. Crawley keeper Glenn Morris also joined on a permanent deal.

Nichols was confident he was making the right move and having a former goalscorer as a manager in Neil Harris was also a selling point.

“The aim is to stay up in the division, which I am sure we will,” he said. “We are definitely a different side now.

“It is exciting to be a player at this football cub at the moment and everyone can see we are all going in the right direction now, we are playing good football, scoring goals, which is what we need to get us up the table.

“When I met the manager, with how relaxed he was about the situation, he just said he needed a bit of help at the top end of the pitch and we will be okay, he really stressed that to me and I could see it.

"We (Crawley) played against them not so long before I joined, and it was not a bad side, they were probably lacking a bit of confidence around the pitch.

“I knew I could help the team and look at the support we get, it’s a big club to join, it is going well so far.

“We have got to build for next season, next season we don’t want to be in this situation again. We have to stay up and build and take that form into next season.”

All three of Nichols’ goals have come from Alex MacDonald set-pieces and he’s grateful for those assists while also praising his new strike partner Oli Hawkins - a January signing from Mansfield.

Nichols said: “One of the first things (Neil Harris) said to me was ‘I am going to get you scoring goals again,’ I was possibly playing a little too deep in the last few years and I am now playing higher up the pitch and I have Oli Hawkins next to me, who is brilliant to play off.

“He is a forward’s dream, you can see what he brings to the table, he is do dominant in the air, a clever player, he holds the ball up and gets us up the pitch.

“Macca’s delivery is on the money every time, it makes it a lot easier for me when he puts crosses in like he does. I just have to make the movement in the box and Macca will find me.”