Gillingham boss Steve Evans isn’t happy with the Football League.

He is preparing the Gills to host a Bolton side this weekend but who plays for the visitors remains uncertain.

A takeover of the north west club was finally completed on Wednesday, which meant they are no longer in administration and able to sign new players.

For the opening weeks of the season they have been playing a team of youngsters and suffered several heavy defeats, including back to back 5-0 losses in the league, against Ipswich and Tranmere.

The were also beaten 5-2 by Rochdale in the EFL Cup but pulled out of a recent game against Doncaster because of fears over player welfare.

There are a few days of the transfer window open - the deadline is Monday, September 2 - and Bolton are soon likely to be a different side to the one who have played their opening four games.

Former Nottingham Forest defender Jack Hobbs is set to be the first of many that will sign on, according to the Bolton News.

“It’s not right in whatever shape or form,” said Evans.

“It shouldn’t have got to this stage and the EFL have a lot to answer for.

“They can hind behind the corridors but it should never have come to this.

“Six or seven managers have gone on record saying ‘where is the integrity of League 1’ and I haven’t seen the Football League challenge those managers, which probably tells you those managers would win the case because there is an integrity issue isn’t there?

“It’s a travesty that we are in 2019 and getting into these circumstances, but Danny Cowley (the Lincoln manager) is one million per cent right (after expressing his frustration and annoyance of the EFL’s handling of the situation). The league has been undermined.

“If you have played Bolton in the first five games, it is not who we will probably face and going forward they will get stronger.”

Bolton have the time to make new signings before the weekend and Evans has heard from agents about the type of players they are interested in.

Gills assistant boss Paul Raynor on Bolton takeover

He said: “They have a great catchment area and will be able to pull from a pool of players who would be keen to go to Bolton. They have a beautiful stadium, with 12-14,000 fans, they will get a boost by the takeover going through.

“Paul Lambert (the Ipswich manager) could have prepared for the under-18s but we can’t do that.

“It’s not a level playing field but we can’t moan about it, we can’t use it as an excuse, because you could have a full strength Bolton from last year coming here. I played them last pre-season at Posh and they were very strong.”

Despite Evans’ grievances at the way the EFL have handed the affair, he will be delighted to see Bolton avoid liquidation, which looked on the cards earlier this week. It’s a club he has a fond attachment to.

“They are close to my heart,” he said.

“I started there as a kid but got let go and it broke my heart, but you still have a big affinity.

“Ian Greaves was the manager, he drove up to Glasgow and convinced me and my parents to go down there as a young 15-year-old but he is not in this world now. He was a great man and there are great people around that club."