Steve Evans' side are ready to take on promotion hopefuls Lincoln City ahead of their Sky Bet League One opening fixture at Priestfield.

Evans was keen to point out that his side's opposition this Saturday have been busy during the summer and have the ability to pull off excellent signings. When Evans spoke to Kent Online he said: "They are a big spending team now aren’t they? That is a reality. They can kibosh it under the carpet but they are. They have signed some wonderful players and they will make it really tough for us."

The Gills boss is under no illusions as to the stern test his side will face but will expect his team to stand up and battle throughout the 90 minutes. When Evans was questioned whether Gillingham could take all three points from the contest he responded (Kent Online): "Can we beat Lincoln? Yes. Will it take a monumental effort and a bit of luck at times? Will it take our special players to turn up with special moments? Yes. Will it take our goalkeeper to make big saves? Yes."

One thing the manager will be able to call upon again is a noisy and loud Rainham End which was nicely filled when Millwall travelled to Priestfield in pre-season.

The Verdict:

Evans has quite rightly put as much pressure as he can onto a strong Lincoln City side who clearly are one of the favourites for automatic promotion this season, a smart move by the experienced manager.

He will need his best players to be on song and a hostile atmosphere at Priestfield for things to go his sides way. A quick start to the game will also be important to stifle the Imps as they are a hard team to stop when on a roll.