By Luke Cawdell

Gillingham midfielder Kevin Maher was dropped on Saturday – because boss Mark Stimson feared the fans would turn on the player.

Following defeats at Swindon and Accrington last week, Stimson felt that Maher, pictured, would have been a prime target for fans to aim their anger at.

Stimson, who hinted that Maher could return at Hartlepool on Tuesday night, said: "He hasn’t done a lot wrong. It was more of, it’s not what you’ve done wrong but if you go out there and misplace a pass what reaction will you get?

"For what he has done as a professional in the game he doesn’t deserve that.

"Kevin is an important part of the group and he’s come on at Priestfield a few times and played the ball fantastically well.

"They (supporters) pay their money and they can criticise who they want. They don’t see the way he retains the ball and the passes he plays forward. They only see the balls he gives away but he gives a fair few balls away because he has so much of it.

"He’s big enough and he understood my decision. He wasn’t happy with it and his reaction was, ‘gaffer, I want to be the one to get you out of this tricky spell we’re in’."