Confident Andrew Davies reckons that a top-six finish is definitely within City’s grasp.

Davies believes the experience of last season’s unforgettable exploits has given them the edge on other clubs and insists: Nobody in League One scares us.

City square up to another of the promoted sides on Saturday when they make the long trek to struggling Gillingham.

Martin Allen’s side are still looking for their first win since going up as champions, while City have made a smooth transition to life in the third tier.

They are sat in eighth spot with only one defeat from the opening seven games.

Defensive figurehead Davies is not surprised by the good start and puts that down to keeping faith with the same squad that made history.

He said: “We all knew how important it was to keep the same team because we’ve done so well.

“With the squad that we’ve got, I can’t see anything less than the play-offs in this league. That’s not me jumping above myself. I’m being realistic.

“You’ve got to have targets to reach and I like setting them high. I think that’s a reasonable one to aim for.

“Look at the other squads and I don’t see another one that should scare us.

“It’s not so much about ability but the togetherness we’ve got. I look at the teams and don’t just say they’ve got better players than us or we’re better than them.

“I think we look a bit tougher than them, we’ll run that extra yard. That goes a long way – that’s what I see.”

The team that drew with Colchester last week, dropping their first home points in the process, was the exact starting line-up that sunk Northampton at Wembley in May to finish their incredible 2012-2013 journey.

Davies is convinced that the lessons learned during that 64-game marathon are now paying dividends.

“The first XIs in most teams are not a lot different,” he added. “It’s about what team have been together, what team have gelled the best and what team have been through the most.

“Look at what happened to our squad last year. It was so much for young professionals and young men to go through and we came out with flying colours.

“I firmly believe that what happened last season has set us up for this one.”