Gillingham boss Steve Lovell is confident Saturday’s game against Charlton will be a competitive affair.

The Gills need a point to guarantee League 1 football for another season, should results elsewhere not go their way, while Charlton have already confirmed their play-off place.

The Addicks will be backed by more than 2,000 supporters at Priestfield, while Gillingham fans will hope to end their home campaign on a high.

Lovell said: “They want to win against us on Saturday and it will be a great occasion. We want to win that game, it’s our last home game.

“It will be a good crowd and we want to give our crowd something to cheer about.

“It is about pride, isn’t it? I said to the boys before Monday (at Bradford) there are three games left, we might be safe, but I wasn’t bothered, I wanted to get as many points as we can.

“When you go away from home against any team and you get something it is worthy. Now we have to make sure we build on it for Saturday, get a result against Charlton and then we go to Blackpool for the last game of the season and we can enjoy ourselves.”

The Gills finished 17th last season with 56 points and beating that is a target.

Lovell said: “We will approach the next two games the same as we have approached every other game.

“We will be very positive with the way that we play. We are very direct with our football – we like to get the ball on the floor and pass it – and people will have seen that on Monday.

“I enjoy that way of playing and I know the players love that way of playing, because they can play it. They are good footballers, you can see on the ball they are. If they weren’t, I wouldn’t play that way.”

There are several ex-Charlton players in the Gills line-up, including Barry Fuller, Brandon Hanlan and Regan Charles-Cook, while Dean Parrett had a loan spell with the Addicks.

The Gills are likely to come up against former striker Josh Parker, who moved to Charlton in January. He’s played eight times for Lee Bowyer’s side but is yet to score.

Lovell spent many years as a coach at The Valley, too.

He said: “I have got some really good friends at Charlton having worked there for so long and I know a lot of the players there.

“It is going to be a good occasion but when the whistle goes out there the gloves

are on.”