League 2 line-up complete after Grimsby Town's National League play-off win as Gillingham set for new venues including Harrogate, Salford and Sutton United
05:00, 06 June 2022
Gillingham now know all of the teams who they will face in League 2 next season.
A win for Grimsby Town in the National League play-off final on Sunday means the line-up for the EFL’s basement division is now complete, with The Mariners beating Solihull Moors in extra-time at the London Stadium.
Fans wishing to see every away game in the league next season will face 8,370 miles - slightly more than the 2021/22 League 1 campaign which saw the Gills clock up 8,265 miles on the road. With fuel prices a great deal higher this coming season, it will certainly hit fans in the pocket.
For an unleaded car running at an average of 50 miles per gallon, it works out around £1,300 at the pumps - based on the prices at Tesco, Gillingham on Sunday.
Next season will certainly be less glamorous too.
Gone are the day trips to former Premier League sides Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland, Ipswich Town and Portsmouth, replaced by a different kind of challenge with new grounds to visit such as Sutton United, Salford City and Harrogate Town.
A 680-mile round-trip to Barrow is the furthest on the agenda, just shy of the 668 miles on the road when the Gills visit Carlisle United.
Gillingham’s last trip to Barrow was in April 1972, a drab contest fought on a bog of a pitch in gale-force wind, the hosts winning 1-0 with a scrappy goal from a corner.
A trip to Harrogate’s EnviroVent Stadium will be a new one for many, the West Yorkshire club investing plenty of money to get their venue up to scratch after promotion to the Football League in 2020.
It’s not all long-distance, however. AFC Wimbledon dropped out of League 1 with the Gills so another visit to Plough Lane is coming up soon, while Crawley Town, Leyton Orient - the closest of the lot - Stevenage and Sutton will be among the local matches.
Gillingham’s only previous meeting with Sutton came in an FA Cup qualifying match in 1945 but it was one to forget - losing 9-3 at Priestfield. Gills’ youth team did visit Gander Green Lane in November 2021 but lost 3-2 in an FA Youth Cup tie.
That Stevenage fixture will certainly be one Gillingham fans will have a keen eye on, as Neil Harris comes up against a Steve Evans side that will already include former players Aaron Chapman, Elliott List and Luke Norris.
Fixtures will be out on Thursday, June 23, a day after Gills' players return from their summer breaks.
Gillingham fans have until tomorrow (Tuesday) to take advantage of discounted season ticket prices. The club have frozen prices from last season and in an effort to attract younger fans, have made it free for under-14s to attend with a full-paying adult.