Town coach Sean McCarthy was at Gillingham’s 3-2 FA Cup defeat of Bournemouth in midweek, running the rule over Gills winger Chris Whelpdale, according to several of this morning’s papers. The 22-year-old was a schoolboy at the Blues’ academy before being released and dropping into non-league.
After spells with Maldon Town and Billericay Town, Whelpdale joined Peterborough United in the summer of 2007 and became a regular in Darren Ferguson’s side which climbed from League Two to the Championship.
Having been involved less in the early stages of last season, the Brentwood-born wideman, who also operated as a right-back during his time at Playford Road, joined Gillingham on loan.
Whelpdale, who is 6ft tall, made a significant impact during his short-term spell at the Priestfield Stadium, scoring three goals in four games, and, despite getting back into the first team picture with Posh, joined the Gills permanently in the summer for an undisclosed fee, signing a contract until 2014.
This season Whelpdale has made 16 starts and three substitute appearances, scoring four goals. He went off at half-time in the Bournemouth game suffering with a chest infection and missed yesterday's 0-0 draw at Bradford.
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