GILLINGHAM captain Paul Smith took a leaf out of Roy Keane's book and turned on his team-mates after last night's 4-1 mauling by Nottingham Forest.

Smith, who spent a miserable 31st birthday at the City Ground, was visibly upset afterwards as he delivered a thinly veiled attack following the club's heaviest defeat of the season.

"Maybe I've got to be a bit like Roy Keane at Manchester United," he said. "Maybe I should go around in the dressing room - and on the pitch - and rattle a few cages.

"I think we've all got to look inwardly at ourselves and ask if we could have done more out there because as a team we just weren't tight enough.

"Whether we put this down as a blip depends on how we get on against Sheffield United on Saturday. But it will be hard. It will be a battle and collectively every member of our side will have to be up for it."

Dejected player-manager Andy Hessenthaler refused too seek solace in the fact that his side was sorely depleted through injuries.

He added: "I don't know who it was out there but it wasn't us. We cannot defend like that and hope for the best. Four goals against is not us.

"I felt sorry for our supporters who made a long and expensive trip in midweek and would like to apologise to them. We were loose all over the pitch.

"I take nothing away from Forest and their striker Marlon Harewood, who scored a hat-trick, but we made it easy for them."

Hessenthaler's injury worries continued last night with Paul Shaw and Guy Ipoua already doubtful for Saturday's visit of Sheffield United.

Ipoua, who came off after 74 minutes to give youngster Jones Awuah his league debut, is nursing an ankle injury while Shaw has bruised ribs.