With the new season now only two and a half weeks away, fans and pundits up and down the land will be starting to predict who will finish where during 2015-16.
They will all have an idea as to who they think will excel and who will struggle after another nine months of thrills and spills. Predicted tables will be published by every newspaper, magazine and website. So where will the Gills end up next spring?
We have taken a look at how the Gills are progressing so far during preseason, and how any new additions seem to be settling in. With only four preseason fixtures played so far, it is hard to use results during early summer as a gage to where a team may finish in the league next May.
Wins versus the likes of Folkestone, Tonbridge Angels and Bromley do not mean Gillingham win the title, in the same way that a defeat to a third tier French outfit does not mean the club will be entrenched in a relegation battle. Winning obviously breeds confidence and builds momentum, but these games are more about gaining fitness and integrating new signings into the group.
So what of Justin Edinburgh’s new additions to date?
It was clear from the back end of last term that he felt the area that needed the most work was defence, and he has worked diligently in securing what currently look like very astute signings.
We all know the capabilities of both Bradley Garmston and Max Ehmer from their loan spells in Kent last season, but it is nonetheless a big statement in securing them both, when they could easily have joined a Championship side on long-term contracts.
With respect to the players they replaced, it is clear they are both a step up on the two men they have superseded, Joe Martin and Leon Legge.
On the opposite side of the pitch, Edinburgh did not feel that Gavin Hoyte – who by no means disgraced himself during 2014-15 – was the correct man long-term, and he was quick to secure Ryan Jackson on a free transfer from his former club, Newport County. Based on early viewing, he will bring both pace and athleticism to the table, but it is far too soon to be making a proper assessment of him.
What is promising, however, is Edinburgh will know him inside out as a player and character, and also that Jackson wanted to play under him again, considering he turned down the offer of a new contract at Rodney Parade.
The most recent new face is Chelsea under-21 skipper Jordan Houghton, who has arrived on loan until January.
Again, we can only judge him on pedigree (Houghton put in a promising shift during tonight’s win at Bromley, impressing offensively and defensively for an hour on debut according to reports) but that pedigree does seem to be impressive.
He has recently been handed a new three-year deal by his parent club and joined the first team squad on its recent preseason tour of the Far East.
In the attacking department, Edinburgh has brought in two new faces to challenge Cody McDonald and Luke Norris for a starting spot after missing out on known summer target John Marquis, who stayed with parent club Millwall after a successful loan stint last season.
Ben Williamson was the first to arrive. The big centre-forward has joined on a two-year deal after turning down terms at former club Port Vale.
Although not the most prolific with the Valiants, Edinburgh has again done his homework, and early signs are that he is quick, will hold the ball up, work the channels and link the play.
If he can also chip in with a few goals, then he could become a very clever signing, and he got off the mark for the club during tonight’s 2-1 friendly victory at Bromley.
Along with Williamson, Rory Donnelly has also come in, and it did not take him long to make a good impression, taking just 26 minutes of his debut at Folkestone to open his account with a smart finish.
The young Irishman was highly sought after as a youngster, with both Everton and Liverpool interested before he decided to join Swansea, so it will be a huge boost for both club and player if Edinburgh and his coaching team can coax out the potential that is clearly there.
On top of these, the club has also added youngsters Elliot List and Emmanuel Osadebe from Crystal Palace and the Tottenham Hotspur academy programme respectively, and while List has not been seen a lot in the first team, Osadebe has made an immediate impression during preseason. So much so that Edinburgh has already spoken of potentially fast tracking him into the first team squad.
We will not know how far this current crop of players can go until the hustle and bustle of a league campaign. As was already mentioned, these friendly fixtures have little bearing on where a team will end up in the final table.
However, if the Gills can improve defensively on last season – and the early signs are promising with the additions of Jackson, Ehmer and Garmston plus Callum Davies coming back to full fitness – and can carry on with the same momentum they finished with last term, the squad has the potential to go far.
Good tests will arrive at the Priestfield early on in the campaign as both Sheffield United and Wigan Athletic visit, but judging by the results, Edinburgh achieved versus the ‘big teams’ after taking over in February, they should hold no fear for the boys in blue.
We are a long way from finding out which teams will come out of the League One pack and challenge for glory next spring, but the early signs from a Gills point of view are very promising indeed.
Upcoming friendlies against Brighton and Portsmouth will give not only Edinburgh and his staff, but also the supporters, a clearer idea of how much Gills fans can start believing. When the season gets underway in earnest, start well and who knows?
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