Gillingham will be heading to Southend twice in four days after being drawn against them in the first round of the English Football League Cup.

The competition gets underway on the opening week of the season, week commencing August 8, following Gills’ League 1 trip to the Essex side.

Last season the Gills made it to round two of what was then the Capital One Cup, losing to Birmingham City 2-0, having beaten Plymouth away in round one.

Gillingham’s ninth place finish in League 1 last season meant they were a seeded team in this year’s first round and avoided the bigger teams.

Earlier today the fixtures for the league season were revealed. Click here for details.

Gillingham have failed to get past the second round of the competition for the last 10 years. They last time they made it to the third round, in the 2005/06 season, they lost out to Doncaster Rovers.

Since then they have fallen at the first hudle on six occasions while losing out in the second round to Blackburn (2009/10), Middlesbrough (2012/13), Newcastle (2014/15) and at St Andrews last season.

Should they beat Southend in the opening round they will face a second round tie on week commencing August 22.