Payne tipped to make Gills debut

Last updated : 05 August 2010 By BBC Sport

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."

Source: BBC Sport

Source: BBC Sport