Neil Harris is expecting a very competitive clash when his Gillingham side entertain Bolton Wanderers this weekend and has vowed whichever team he selects will be organised and ready as he admits he is unsure what reception Kyle Dempsey will receive from the home fans.
The Gills host Wanderers at Priestfield this Saturday in League One clash which has an impact on both spectrums of the promotion and relegation landscape.
Wanderers sit eight points from the top six as things stand and will be seeking to once again reduce their deficit to the play-offs with maximum points and hope results elsewhere go in their favour.
READ MORE: Bolton Wanderers boss Ian Evatt on facing Gillingham, play-off hopes & March fixture schedule
The Gills meanwhile sit just three points from safety in the relegation zone as things stand and are fighting to preserve their League One status.
Harris was only appointed Gills boss on transfer deadline day, but their form has picked up under the ex-Millwall and Cardiff City chief's stewardship.
He believes a tightening up of their defence has been partly behind their recent resurgence in form, and is not looking past taking on Ian Evatt's side as the Priestfield outfit seek to maintain their place in the third tier of English football.
Saturday's encounter will also see the return of former Gillingham captain Dempsey to Priestfield, who left the club as Harris walked through the door on transfer deadline day in January in a move that the Gills boss says was essentially done before he arrived.
The Gills boss admits he does not know what reception Dempsey will receive from the home fans, but that it will certainly be a positive one from his old club staff and team mates, as Harris had his say on the job opposite number Evatt has done at the University of Bolton Stadium.
Harris said: "We didn’t want to lose anyone, but Kyle was the first person I saw when I came in and the deal was pretty much done. I basically just said hello and bye; the bags were packed and mentally he was already at Bolton on the back of the Oxford game. I wasn’t involved.
"I can’t speak for the fans on what reception Kyle will get, that will be down to them. He will get a good reception from his old teammates and staff – he was the captain of the football club.
"We’d just been beaten 7-2 by Oxford, I come in 48 hours later on deadline day and Kyle Dempsey is leaving. OK then! It was a massive shift mentally for the players.
"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 sets his teams up well. They are attack-minded, but they need to win games if they want top six. But we will be ready, organised, structured and we will have a plan with and without the ball. The players have executed plans unbelievably well so far.
"Ian was a no-nonsense centre-half, we played each other a number of times. I have a few stud marks down the back of my Achilles still, but we would like to focus on what’s on the pitch rather than each other. He’s done a great job at Bolton.
"For us, whatever team is selected, we will be ready and organised. I think we have got better with each home performance, although we had a poor 45 mins against Plymouth.
"We have taken giant steps, but we have so far to go. The attitude of the players has surprised me massively with how good it was.
"The fans are seeing a team they are proud of. I can't look past Bolton. I need to physically get the players right. I can't affect what happens elsewhere.
"Stats show we have tightened up. It's a huge improvement, that was part of the reason to going to a back five. We have showed them how we want them to play. No stone is left unturned."
