Gillingham's new recruit Tom Flanagan insists a starting place is something he will have to earn.

The MK Dons defender dropped down a division in a bid to get the chance to play extra minutes of competitive football.

But the 20-year-old, on loan at the Gills until January, knows he'll have to earn the right to a place in Martin Allen's starting XI.

Flanagan (pictured) said: "I need to play more games and further my education and become someone who can play different styles of football.

"There are still flaws to my game which I have come here to work on and the gaffer is going to help me with that. Hopefully the boys can help me as well. It will be different going to some places on a Tuesday night, rather than playing at stadium;mk where it is all very nice. There will be some not nice places but again it's part of it.

"I am confident of getting games but not because I am on loan. I have every right to be dropped and every right to play. If I perform I hope to play but nobody has said to me that I will walk in and play. I am sure that's not the way it is, that would be unfair and I wouldn't like that to happen to me.

"I still need to prove to that squad in the dressing room that I am value, they see me as a player and they want me to play. I hope the manager likes my style of play, my leadership skills and ability on the ball. If I am not performing I will be dropped, the same as at every football club."

The young central defender played 21 league games for an MK Dons team which last season made the League 1 play-offs, before losing to Huddersifled in the semi-finals.

One of the games he was involved in was against Martin Allen's former club Notts County where he scored with an over-head kick in a 1-1 draw at the County Ground.

He also netted a volleyed effort against Colchester in a 5-1 win and headed home a goal against Stevenage.

A presence in both boxes is something the 6ft 4inch defender hopes to have for the Gills next season.

"if we spread the goals it will accumulate to a lot. if we keep it tight at the back it's a winning situation and i think it's what we will try and do here…” – tom flanagan

"I can be a threat from set-pieces and I am a bit of a goal-hanger at set-pieces," he said. "Rather than going to attack the ball I like to pick up the knock-downs and you don't need to ask me twice to shoot, which might not be a good thing!

"I think if everyone in the team can get five goals in a season it will really help you for your promotion push. What we tried to get at MK was to have those two strikers, getting 10 and 20, or 10 and 15 and a couple of midfielders with eight.

"If we spread the goals it will accumulate to a lot. If we keep it tight at the back it's a winning situation and I think it's what we will try and do here.

"Set-pieces is a big thing now in football because so much homework is done on teams and people will be watching us for three games. If you can change your set-pieces around, get goals and not concede from set-pieces it's another combination to success.

"With my size I may be seen as a bit of a threat but sometimes the small people get the goals from set-pieces because people take them for granted. We will work on it and hopefully I can get a few more goals."

The Gills will be among the favourites once more to gain promotion next season.

"I wouldn't have particularly wanted to go somewhere where a team is scrapping for their lives," Flanagan admitted.

"Hopefully that doesn't happen here. With the amount of games I played last year we were in the top two, three for most of the season and that's not easy. It's possibly harder. People are trying to park the bus and stuff but we have a good enough team here from what I have seen in training to break teams down. We are passing the ball well and we are as fit as anything."

Flanagan met his new team-mates on Monday - a day where Allen put his men through another double-session on the training ground.

"It was ridiculously hard," said Flanagan. "But it is all part of it at the moment, it's the part of the year where you earn your money and you are in for a lot longer periods. That is what you base your season on. All the lads were nice and I knew a few of them from playing against them to say hello which made it a bit easier."

On Saturday he hopes to make his Gills debut against Charlton.

He said: "I have never played here before and hopefully it will be my debut (on Saturday) and a good one at that, against a tough opposition.

"I played against them last year with MK Dons and they ran away with the league. They will have only built on that and so it won't be easy but we are capable of getting a good result. I am sure there will be people watching who may start to think of Gillingham as contenders for promotion which is what everyone in that changing room and I am sure the staff want."

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