'Emotional' - Bolton Wanderers vow vs Gillingham for Gethin Jones and family after mother's death

Ian Evatt admits it has been an emotional week for Bolton Wanderers following the death of defender Gethin Jones' mother Karen but has aimed to get maximum rewards against Gillingham tomorrow for the vice-captain and his family.

Karen, 56, passed away last weekend after losing her battle with motor neurone disease (MND) after being diagnosed last summer with the illness, for which there is currently not a cure.

Karen, a much-loved former midwife, leaves behind Wanderers vice-captain and sons Gethin and Dylan, daughter Ela and husband Gareth.

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Wanderers travel to Priestfield this Saturday aiming for three points against the Gills, but Evatt has confirmed that Jones will not be considered for selection and will be given all the time he needs to grieve after his mother's passing before returning to selection.

Evatt and members of the Bolton squad have regularly spoken to Jones since his mother's passing last Sunday as the club offers the family all the support it can in this difficult time.

And the Bolton boss has reiterated their is no timeframe for when the defender could return to Wanderers, with Evatt adamant Jones will be given the time he needs to mourn with his family before returning to action.

Evatt said: “It has been emotional. We all feel really sad for him and obviously we’ve all built a relationship with Geth, but with his family as well through the event we staged earlier in the season.

“The news hit everyone hard but we have to come out fighting on Saturday. We will miss Geth, he is a big player for us and a great character but we won’t put him under any sort of pressure or timeframe, we have to do the