GILLINGHAM boss Steve Evans revealed he has previously been asked to take the Swindon Town job on several occasions by owner and chairman Lee Power.

Evans called Town “a wonderful club” but said the timing had never been right for a move to Wiltshire.

Swindon officially approached Evans when he was manager of Mansfield Town – days after the sacking of Luke Williams in May 2017 – but were turned down, while Gillingham were also rebuffed in their attempts to bring the Glaswegian into Priestfield Stadium a couple of months later.

Speaking to Kent Online ahead of his side’s League One clash with John Sheridan’s men this weekend, the Gillingham manager said: “I know the owner and chairman (Lee Power) very well.

“He has tried to take me to Swindon on two or three occasions and it has never been right, but it is a wonderful club isn’t it?”

Swindon will face a tough test this weekend as Gillingham are unbeaten in their past four League One games, culminating in a 2-0 victory away at Bristol Rovers in midweek.

Meanwhile, Town blew a 2-0 lead against Crewe Alexandra on their way to a 4-2 defeat.

Evans is still confident Saturday’s visitors will provide his players with a tough test, nevertheless.

He said: “I have known their manager John Sheridan for years and he will get them to be successful.

“They were 2-0 up against Crewe (on Tuesday) and it could have been three or four, they didn’t take their chances and got punished.

“They are a very athletic side, they move the ball around, they are purposeful, they find pockets. There just isn’t an easy game against them.

“We will make changes (because of the lack of time between games) and make sure we can put out a team that can win us a game.

“If we win, and it is all ifs, three points would put us in amongst it just before the Christmas period, and considering the key players we have had absent, what the boys are doing is tremendous.”