PRESTON midfielder Paul Gallagher doesn’t blame Bolton’s players for pulling out of tonight's friendly at Leyland.

The two Lancashire sides were due to meet until Saturday, when Preston asked for a guarantee that Wanderers could field a full-strength side.

With no end to the takeover or administration in sight at that stage, the game had to be shelved.

Wanderers’ players have not been paid in 20 weeks – and some who have sought free transfers elsewhere have found their route blocked by administrators.

“You can see why they don’t want to play,” Gallagher told the Lancashire Post.

“If they go to work they are entitled to get paid and that has not been happening.

“It doesn’t matter if you are a footballer or a plumber or whatever, you have to be paid.

“The lads at Bolton have mortgages and bills to pay like everyone else.

“They want to go out and play football but how can they when they’ve gone so long without being paid?

“It’s a shame when you see what is happening at Bolton and Bury.

“I really do hope something will get sorted, they are two clubs with a big history.”