Gills face away start

Tough, but exciting, was how Gillingham head coach Ady Pennock reacted to the release of the 2017-18 season fixtures.

The Gills will face a trip to newly-promoted Doncaster Rovers on Saturday, August 5 for their season opener.

Speaking on Wednesday morning, Pennock said: “It’s exciting this time of year, when the fixtures are out, looking to see who you get and when.

“We’ve got a good start, a tough start but it’s always difficult to see what teams are going to be like as there are new players in, new managers and new styles but I’m excited by it.”

In between the opening two league matches is the Carabao Cup first round at Reading.

The Royals missed out on promotion to the Premier League after losing to Huddersfield on penalties in the Championship play-off final.

“It’s a hard one,” said Pennock. “But it will be played in a fantastic stadium and we’re looking forward to it.

“They were so unlucky not to get promoted and it will be a good test for us. It’s an exciting game to be involved in and a good one for the fans.”

Gillingham travel to rivals Charlton Athletic on New Year’s Day.

Among the midweek trips is a Tuesday, November 21 visit to Blackpool, one of Gillingham’s longest of the season.

Former manager Justin Edinburgh will bring his Northampton team to Priestfield on Saturday, October 21. The Checkatrade Trophy starts the week commencing August, 28 while the FA Cup first round takes place on Saturday, November 4.

The League 1 play-off final will be at Wembley on Sunday, May 27.

Pennock will get to see his players again tomorrow (Friday), when they end their summer breaks.

He said: “We’ll split them up, morning and afternoon, and they will be fat tested and weighed and they will undergo running tests before we travel to Northern Ireland on Sunday.”