Gills fans will be all smiles by May if the bookmakers’ odds for success are anything to go by.
League 2 sponsors Sky Bet have Gillingham third-favourites to win the division at odds of 8/1, despite finishing 12th in the previous campaign.
By Tom Fullagar
More: 10 forgotten Gills players and where they are now
With new rivalries forming and new players joining, can the Gills bounce back in their third year in League 2?
The bookies have installed newly-promoted Chesterfield, who have signed four players from League 1 clubs, as favourites to win the league at 6/1.
Manager Paul Cook has plenty of EFL experience at the likes of Portsmouth and Wigan while prolific forward Will Grigg will look to cause defences trouble after scoring 25 goals in 38 games last season to help his team win the National League title.
The other member of the bookies’ ‘top three’ are MK Dons, who are priced at 15/2 to win the league after a busy transfer window, signing nine players. They finished fourth last season with 78 points and reached the play-off semi-finals, but were embarrassed by Crawley Town with an aggregate loss of 8-1.
Versatile midfielder Alex Gilbey had 24 goals and assists and played eight positions last season for the Dons. But they lost Max Dean, a 20-year-old forward who scored 19 goals last season, as he signed for KAA Gent during the summer. The Gills won at home against the club 2-1 but lost away at Stadium MK 2-1.
At the other end of the spectrum, newly-promoted Bromley are rank outsiders with odds of 100/1 to go straight through the division.
The side managed by Andy Woodman, who was at one point tipped for the Gillingham job prior to Stephen Clemence’s appointment, are more likely to be battling relegation than chasing promotion if the bookies are proved correct.
Bromley are in the Football League for the first time in their history after winning the National League play-off final on penalties, 4-3 against Solihull Moors. Much will rest on striker Michael Cheek, who scored 23 goals in 47 games last season, including a brace at Wembley.
It will be a new rivalry for the Gills with Hayes Lane just 32 miles from Priestfield.
Also tipped to struggle are Morecambe, who scraped last season with 58 points and a 15th-place finish, and are also priced at 100/1 to win the title.
Their top scorer was 20-year-old loan striker Michael Melton, who netted 15 times in 26 games before he was recalled by parent club Burnley.
The Gills did the double over Morecambe last season with a 2-1 win at home and a 3-2 away success.
