Gillingham could have striker Vadaine Oliver back fit to face his former club.

The 29-year-old striker missed the midweek trip to Peterborough United but manager Steve Evans hopes he is available to face Northampton Town this Saturday.

Oliver - Gillingham’s 18-goal leading scorer - missed the match at London Road with a slight groin strain. His place in the starting XI was taken by John Akinde.

Evans said: “If it had been the last game of the season he would have played. The plan was at one stage over the two games (against Oxford and Peterborough) for John Akinde to get a larger amount of time than Vadaine, they are both a handful.

“Vadaine felt it a little on the Monday and he said he would take some tablets and play but we said, ‘no you are not, you are out.’

“The medical team tell me he should be fully fit and training on Thursday and Friday and he has to be.”

Gillingham won Tuesday’s match 1-0 with Akinde setting up the match winner for Connor Ogilvie.

Evans added: “I can never say we didn’t miss the big man who has got us 18 goals, we missed him, but we got through without him.”

Oliver spent last season with Northampton Town and helped them to promotion from League 2, winning promotion through the play-offs at Wembley. He scored four league goals for them that season - he’s got 15 for the Gills in the league.

His former team are fighting to avoid relegation in League 1, picking up an impressive 3-0 win over Ipswich Town in midweek, leaving them four points from safety with three games to play.

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