Exclusive: Bristol Rovers and Gillingham in transfer hunt for ex-Watford player | OneFootball

The Gas and Gills are both in the running to sign a versatile National League wide player this summer

Bristol Rovers and Gillingham are set to lock horns in League Two once more next season after their fates were confirmed in recent weeks, and they're also keen on the same player from National League outfit Wealdstone, Football League World has been exclusively informed.

Both the Gas and the Gills would've been expected to be in the promotion hunt to League One based on squads on paper and budgets, but in truth, both have struggled to live up to the expectations.

Under Gareth Ainsworth, Gillingham started strong and were both top of the table and unbeaten after nine matches, but just six wins from their last 34 matches in League Two has seen the Kent outfit slide into the lower reaches.

And in somewhat of a polar-opposite happening, Bristol Rovers decided to part company with Darrell Clarke back in December after a 10-match losing streak, which followed seven games unbeaten, and it left them in real relegation danger to the National League.

The appointment of Steve Evans though saved Rovers' season, and after winning nine of their last 11 matches, they have probably the most momentum in the league - something they're also looking to take into the transfer market as a club that prospective new recruits want to play for.

Wealdstone wide player Dom Hutchinson on Bristol Rovers & Gillingham transfer radars

It looks as though they'll have to fend off Gillingham though for one particular player, as FLW understands that Wealdstone wide player Dom Hutchinson is on the radar of both clubs this summer.

The 24-year-old is out of contract this summer at Grosvenor Vale, and despite his current club doing more than enough to survive relegation from the National League, with a potential top half finish on the horizon as they sit in 12th spot with two matches to play, Hutchinson may be moving up the pyramid instead.

Hutchinson signed for the Stones back in 2022 from Watford, whose academy system he came through, and after several loan stints away at the likes of Slough Town and St. Albans City, he's cemented himself in the club's starting 11 in the past year-and-a-half - recently as a right wing-back.

A scorer of five goals and two assists notched, Hutchinson is naturally a winger but has adapted to the systems that the likes of Sam Cox and Gary Waddock have utilised.

Where Dom Hutchinson could slot into Steve Evans or Gareth Ainsworth's starting 11s

With Hutchinson primarily playing as a right wing-back, he could slot straight in to Steve Evans' preferred 3-5-2 system at the Memorial Stadium - a position that Joel Senior has seemingly locked down in recent months.

Under Gareth Ainsworth though, who more often than not opts to use a 4-2-3-1 system, albeit he does sometimes brings wing-backs into play, Hutchinson could potentially play in his more natural winger position, either off the left or on the right.

Given his free agent status going into the summer, providing he does not sign a new deal at Wealdstone, Hutchinson represents an improving, up-and-coming option for League Two clubs, and more may come to the table to join Rovers and Gillingham.