Gillingham’s interim manager Steve Lovell feels the abuse aimed at him following Saturday’s heavy home defeat was unfair.

Lovell - in caretaker charge of the team for the last four games - has legendary status at the club as a player but that hasn’t stopped some fans abusing him from the stands after Saturday’s heavy loss.

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Gillingham lost 7-2 on Saturday and haven’t had a win in their last 17 games. They are 10 points from safety in the League 1 relegation zone with 18 games remaining.

Lovell, speaking after the weekend defeat, said: “It is hurting me. I love the football club, I have been passionate about this club, I give everything for this club.

“People who are abusing me don’t know me and it is not fair that they are abusing me in front of my family. Do I need it? No. I don’t need it but all I want is to have a chance of putting things right at the football club.

“As I am walking off I am hearing things said to me and I don’t particularly like it, it is not right.

“To be blamed for something here that I am trying to get right and trying to overturn and all you get is abuse for all the effort that you are putting in. They don’t realise the amount of hours I have put in these last three weeks. They don’t realise how much effort is going in to this club, by everyone behind the scenes.

“I have taken over a group of players from a previous manager that are not in a good place from a football perspective and that is because of the results prior to me coming in. You have to try and lift them and get them out of this bubble they are in, a bad bubble, and we need to try and get them to play. We have tried and we are still trying and there are signs things are happening.”

There was more criticism of chairman Paul Scally from the stands as well, from supporters frustrated with how things are going.

Lovell said: “I can understand the frustration of the fans from a football performance but not from the chants that are shouted out, they really don’t realise how much work Paul Scally does for this club, they really don’t.

“It is wrong, he has kept this club afloat for 20-odd years and without him this club wouldn’t be going.

"I can understand the fans’ frustration because I am one of them but to have a go at him personally is so wrong and if they are going to take it out on anyone then they can have a go at the players on the football field, not what is going on with Mr Scally.”