Match Previews

Preview | Gillingham v Bolton Wanderers

4th March

Mustapha Carayol will be pushing for a start against Bolton after a full week's training.

Gillingham v Bolton Wanderers

Sky Bet League One

MEMS Priestfield Stadium

Saturday March 5^th

Kick-Off, 3pm

Team News:

Ben Reeves and Mustapha Carayol will both be available for the game, but Neil Harris has a decision to make regarding whether they are fit enough to start.

Gerald Sithole will remain an injury doubt, having missed recent games with a hamstring problem.

Elias Kachunga continues to step up his return from injury, but Ian Evatt believes it will come too soon for the Bolton winger. Adam Senior was recalled from his loan spell at Chorley during the week and could come into the matchday squad.

Manager Comments:

Neil Harris - “Bolton are a big club at this level. They invested heavily, and well, in January and have had good results since. The crowd should hopefully improve again, it is a tough challenge we are looking forward to and it is a big game for both teams.”

Ian Evatt - "We want to bounce back but it’s going to be a tough game. They’ve picked up since Neil Harris has gone in there and they’re fighting for their lives so we’re expecting a real tough one.”

Previous Meetings:

The meeting between the two sides earlier in the season ended in a score draw. It proved to be a tale of two halves with Gills leading 2-0 at half-time at the University of Bolton Stadium. John Akinde and Kyle Dempsey both scored during the opening 15 minutes.

However, Gills failed to add to their lead during the second half, and Bolton produced a comeback in the final five minutes of the game. Oladapo Afolayan pulled a goal back in the 86th minute, and Kieran Lee scored during the beginning of stoppage time to earn Bolton a point.

The two clubs last met at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium at the start of the 2019/20 season. Connor Ogilvie and Olly Lee put Gills 2-0 before half-time. Brandon Hanlan made it three ten minutes after the break, and Lee grabbed his second and Gillingham’s fourth just minutes later.

Jordan Boon scored an own goal with around 15 minutes to go capping off a convincing win for the Gills against a young Bolton side.