WHEN Mark Beevers crashed home Wanderers’ third goal against Fleetwood Town on Saturday, Phil Parkinson admits his heart was in his mouth.

As Beevers ran – arms out – towards the throngs of cheering supporters behind the goal, his manager was saying a little prayer in the dugout that his defender’s over-exuberant celebrations did not earn him a yellow card from referee Paul Tierney.

Along with Josh Vela, Beevers had been finely balanced on nine bookings for seven games and had to survive just one more before the Football League wiped disciplinary records clean.

Thankfully, both the player and the official kept their cool and the he will take his place against Gillingham tonight looking to string back-to-back away victories together.

“I had said to Josh Vela before the game ‘if you score, don’t be daft and run off the pitch to celebrate,’ Parkinson told The Bolton News. “When Mark scored it was great but as soon as he did it I thought ‘oh, no, I forgot to mention it to him!

“As I watched the ref stand there and wait I’m thinking ‘please, please don’t book him.’

“I had to have a little chuckle. You try and cover everything, drum it into him that he has to stay on his feet, don’t run to the crowd – and then Beevs goes and does that.”

Gills’ midfielder Josh Wright was not so lucky. Celebrating his third penalty against Scunthorpe United on Saturday, his celebration earned him 10th caution and a two-game ban, which rules him out tonight.

If fortune played a part in Wanderers’ success at the weekend, Parkinson is keen to leave nothing to chance when his side go to Priestfield.

Monday’s train strike meant the players had to find alternative travel down to Kent and move their normal training session to a pitch closer to the venue.

On the agenda will be set pieces, a potent weapon against Fleetwood, but also an area to watch out for against Gillingham – whose German-born defender Max Ehmer has chipped in with seven goals this season.

“We do work hard on set plays for and against because it’s an important part of the game,” he said. “You need goals from every area of the pitch and centre-halves need to chip in, ours are doing that.

“I was pleased Beevs got one. Wheater could have had three but he finishes like a centre-forward. He really has a calmness in the penalty box.”

Gary Madine scored twice as Wanderers put four past Gillingham last time out but Parkinson believes they have improved under new boss Adrian Pennock.

“I saw them play against Wimbledon and they were a better team than the one we played on that Monday night. They had a better work ethic throughout the team,” he said. “Back then they had some dangerous players but now they look to me to have a better spirit among the group.”