Payne joined Gillingham from Fulham this summer

Stefan Payne looks set to play his first ever league game when Gillingham play Cheltenham Town on the opening day of the season.

The 18-year-old striker had been with Fulham since leaving Sutton United but moved on without playing a game.

He could start up front for Gillingham as Adebayo Akinfenwa and Mark McCammon are struggling for match fitness.

Payne told BBC Radio Kent: "I'm quite excited, I'm quite nervous, hopefully I can get a goal to start it off."

He added: "It's always good to have a good pre-season, hopefully I can continue that form for the season."

Although he did not feature in a first team squad at Craven Cottage, Payne says he will never forget his time at Fulham, where he watched them reach the Europa League final.

He said: "It made me a lot more mature. I've come on a hell of a lot. It's certainly not going to make you worse at a Premier League side."

"The atmosphere at Fulham was great last year, it was excellent. Roy Hodgson is an excellent manager. He brought me along. I had to bring my standard up and I thought he was really good to work with."

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