KYLE Dempsey revealed that Gillingham made one last-ditch attempt to keep him before his move to Wanderers.

The midfielder’s transfer had been the story of the winter window for Bolton, who saw him as the perfect upgrade on former captain Antoni Sarcevic.

Dempsey was captain at struggling Gillingham, who had parted ways with manager Steve Evans and then their caretaker boss Steve Lovell, leaving them completely rudderless on Deadline Day.

The appointment of Neil Harris just before lunchtime on the final day meant the gears could finally start moving on the deal but Dempsey, whose signing was only confirmed 15 minutes AFTER the window closed, confirmed that Harris tried to convince him to stay.

“I went in on deadline day in the morning to have a chat with him and it is hard to have those sort of conversations with a manager who has just come into the building,” he told The Bolton News.

“To be fair, he was top quality. He told me he wanted to keep me at the club and I was honest, I said my mind was already made up.

“It is a great club here with great facilities, the fans are obviously unbelievable, and another thing was that it was back up north and that is where I feel most comfortable. I’d never have a bad word against Gillingham because they got me back to being a goal-scorer, a creative midfielder, and I always knew I could do that so now it is about turning that into a Bolton shirt.”

Wanderers’ pursuit of Dempsey had become a very public affair which rumbled on for a few weeks in January.

Dempsey reckons his faith that the move would go ahead was only tested in the final week of the window.

“I had several conversations with my chairman and there were sort of moments were I felt like it wasn’t going to get over the line,” he said. “I think the most frustrating part was the fact that I knew it was there, I knew the move could be happening.

“I started seeing the team doing really well as well, and I just wanted to obviously be part of that. But there was always that duty, I was the captain of the club at Gillingham and I needed to delivery on a day-to-day basis to try and get the club out of where we were.

“There were times where I didn’t think it (the move) was going to happen but there was also relief at the end to get it over the line and I’m just buzzing to be here to be honest.”

Dempsey was one of the leading midfielders in League One during the 2020/21 campaign but admits the going had been tougher at Priestfield this time around.

“I think we had been very unlucky this season, and there was a time when 12 senior players were out with injury, main figures,” he said. “The form we were on it was becoming harder to deliver what I wanted to in a game. There were a lot of games where we were being dominated and it is hard as a midfield player to get involved when games are like that.

“I am not going to be one to use excuses. My main focus is coming here and getting more of the ball, expressing myself and getting among the goals and assists.”

Now in situ, Dempsey is looking forward to making a difference at Bolton, featuring from the start in Tuesday night’s 2-1 win against Charlton Athletic.

As one of three cash signings in the window, there is an expectation on the 26-year-old’s shoulders to help the Whites push further up the League One table.

“I wouldn’t say it was pressure,” he said. “I think as footballers you’re brought into the building to make an impression and to make an impact, so all you can do is give your best, show what you’re about and hopefully help the team to many more wins until the end of the year.

“I think since I’ve been in, the focus and the mentality of the group is just to win as many games as we can until the end of the year. I think that’s got to be the main focus moving forward and you’ve just got to see where it takes you.”

If nothing else, getting Dempsey on board means he will not be able to score against them – something he managed in his last two meetings.

“I scored at Fleetwood when Bolton went there,” he recalled. “We had been head-to-head all year and ended up third but Bolton went straight up in second.

“It’s funny, you look back and wonder if that is why the interest was there, I have just always had a decent game against Bolton, so now it is about turning that into good performances in this shirt. “ Heading to Oxford six unbeaten, Wanderers are in a positive frame of mind, Dempsey added.

“The momentum which we’ve got at the minute and the form we’re in, we’re going there high in confidence and we’ve just got to deliver the best that we can and come away with the three points,” he said.