Gillingham manager Steve Evans revealed the family heartache that he had to cope with in the lead up to Saturday's match against Accrington.

Evans said he took a phone call from his eldest brother Hugh - who works as a football scout for Scottish giants Celtic - on Friday to tell him that his cancer was terminal.

“I was told that my brother has got terminal cancer, with months to live,” said Evans.

“We all love our brother, he is the head of our family now that my mum and dad are gone and it is hard.”

Hugh, in his late 60s, was keen for his younger sibling to keep his mind on the job at the weekend, asking for a win against Accrington. The Gills created enough chances to win more than one game but the match ended goalless.

Asked how he coped at the weekend, Steve said: “What you do is you put the phone down and you break your heart, don’t you? You break your heart for him, not for us.

“He has a brilliant family around him and it is hard but his last words were ‘go and win the game’ so my full focus was to prepare the boys. I was still shouting and competing for decisions, that doesn’t change, but all of our thoughts and prayers from the whole family are with him.

“It is going to be a tough time over the next few months but the one thing we do as a family, we fight like every family. We disagree, we fall out over a pint of milk and don’t speak but when trouble comes to the door, then you are a family and together and we will stand with the head of the family.”

• Fresh injury blow for Gills

• Report: Gillingham 0 Accrington 0

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