Gillingham chairman Paul Scally thanks Steve Lovell for his caretaker role at Priestfield

Steve Lovell was confronted by angry fans after Saturday’s heavy loss as his caretaker stint ended in a way nobody wanted.

Lovell scored over 100 goals for the club as a player and has made the Medway towns his home after joining the Gills from Millwall in 1987. He held numerous positions at the club at the end of his playing career, culminating in a spell as manager between 2017 and 2019.

He was the man chairman Paul Scally turned to after Steve Evans’ departure left him without a manager.

Lovell left on Sunday after the 7-2 home defeat to Oxford United and on Monday the club announced the appointment of Neil Harris.

Mr Scally is grateful for the support Lovell showed, saying: “He has done a fantastic job in trying to sort the team out over the last few weeks. He is a legend at this football club and will always remain so, and I thank him for what he tried to do.”

Lovell had been disappointed with some of the personal abuse the was directed at him after Saturday’s defeat, describing it as “unfair.”

Following Saturday’s loss, Lovell said the players had “been knocked so much this season, they have been hammered and people don’t realise how much they have been hammered and it has had a real big say in how they are.”

He attempted to restore their confidence but four games in a short space of time wasn’t long to get the team playing the way he wanted them to, although there were some positive signs.

It’s now down to new boss Neil Harris to try and pick things up, taking over a side second from bottom in League 1.