Gillingham’s first team complete their pre-season schedule at Dagenham on Saturday after facing League 1 Cambridge United in midweek

Gillingham’s final two games of their pre-season campaign are the closest thing they’ll get to a League 2 challenge before the real business begins.

The Gills lost 4-0 to League 1 Cambridge United in a behind-closed-doors match on Tuesday afternoon and tackle National League Dagenham away this Saturday - ideal preparation for the new season which gets under way next weekend at Stockport.

More: Forward ready to roll after adapting to full-time football

Manager Neil Harris said: “[Cambridge was] an opportunity to go and play against a team above us in the pyramid.

“I look at Cambridge and Dagenham as a real opportunity for us to play against two opponents that are going to be a lot more like what we are going to face in League 2 over the first few weeks of the season.

“Obviously Southampton (in the League Cup) becomes a real random one in the middle of it because they are going to make 6,000 passes, dominate the ball and it won’t be League 2-like, but those two games are really important for us moving forward.

“The players will get more minutes and that’s the main thing. We are still looking at formations and combinations, we are still looking to improve in the window, we still have to think about that if players come in this week and where are they are minutes-wise, what minutes do they need?”

The Gills do have a game at Sittingbourne on Tuesday if anyone’s in need of extra minutes. A young Gills team played Lordswood on Tuesday night, losing 1-0.

The League 2 season kicks off next Saturday with a trip to one of the promotion favourites.

Gillingham will hope to stay injury free in these last few days of pre-season.

Losing Lewis Walker early in the summer was a blow while Oli Hawkins has missed much of the pre-season