Gillingham coach fires a strong warning at 'smarting' Sunderland ahead of League One clash

The Black Cats have already made the journey to Kent on this season, losing 1-0 to the Gills in their FA Cup first round replay after a 1-1 stalemate at the Stadium of Light.

And with Parkinson’s men desperate for points, Raynor is anticipating a side intent on revenge to arrive in Gillingham on Saturday afternoon – for what he hopes will be a ‘great game’.

“We will enjoy [the win over Doncaster] and then think about Sunderland at home next week, which is a great game to play,” he told Kent Online.

"Sunderland went out in the FA Cup at Priestfield and will be smarting, looking for a bit of revenge, so it will be game on again.”

The Gills have won their last three games on home soil – which has pleased Raynor andmanager Steve Evans, who urged the squad to make it a ‘horrible’ place to visit.

“We remember sitting at the fans’ forum in pre-season and talking about making Priestfield a fortress,” he added

“We visited many times as opposition and it was a horrible place to come. We always knew we were in a battle.

“The intensity of the crowd made it hostile and I think people are now seeing that. It is becoming a Steve Evans and Paul Raynor team now.

"You can see the fans are behind us, they can see signs we’re going well.”