Gillingham’s weekend game with Bolton Wanderers is in doubt as their opponents face the threat of liquidation.

The Gills are set to host the troubled side on Saturday.

The Football League have given them until Tuesday, at 5pm, to prove that a deal for the sale of the club can be completed.

But a statement released on Monday, on behalf of Paul Appleton, joint administrator for the club, says a deal has collapsed over the weekend.

The statement says the process of closing down the club could commence on Wednesday. A deal was agreed on Friday but collapsed on Saturday morning.

It says: “At this stage, there seems little point in apportioning blame because that makes no difference to the staff, players, management, supporters and the community who have once more seen their club taken back to the brink.

“The EFL have made their position clear by insisting on a 5pm deadline on Tuesday for a deal to be completed or give compelling reasons for an extension. They have also written to everybody concerned in the process to underline that sense of urgency.

“On Sunday evening, there was some tentative dialogue but we are still some way from reaching a solution. Therefore, I am appealing to those parties whose position seems intractable to do everything to reach a compromise.

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“In just over 24 hours, the club will have its membership of the EFL revoked. Over and above that, the club is currently not in a position to carry on trading and, as such, the process of closing down the company will commence on Wednesday.

“ This will ultimately lead to its liquidation, the expulsion of the club from the EFL and the inevitable loss of over 150 jobs. More than that, it will devastate a community for whom the football club is a beacon of hope and expectation.

“I reiterate, unless there is a change of position from any of the parties involved, the process of closing down the club and ultimately placing Bolton Wanderers into liquidation will begin this week.”

Bolton have been playing the kids in recent weeks and their manager Phil Parkinson and assistant Steve Parkin left ahead of their 5-0 weekend loss to Ipswich. It was the third game running they had conceded five goals.

The club have been in administration since May and have started the season with minus 12 points. The club recently called off their game against Doncaster, without consulting the league, amid concerns over player welfare.

An EFL statement, issued on Saturday, said that: “If a successful conclusion to a sale is not found or there are no credible plans for the club to continue the season in administration by the planned Board meeting at 5pm on Tuesday 27 August 2019, then the EFL Board will consider lifting the suspension on the Notice of Withdrawal of the Club's membership of the League which was issued when the Club entered into administration in May 2019.”

The Notice of Withdrawal would give them a two week window but they may not get that long as the statement from the administrators suggests.

Fellow League 1 side Bury, meanwhile, have yet to play a game but there are hopes a deal can be completed there. They also have a Tuesday, 5pm deadline for the takeover to be finalised. Failure could see them kicked out of the league.

Bury's game against Gillingham was one of six to have been suspended by the EFL since the start of the season.

Gillingham chairman Paul Scally believes the financial problems at Bury and Bolton are just the tip of the iceberg.

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