Lee Martin’s red card looked harsh on first viewing, said Gills boss Steve Lovell.

Lovell will review the footage before deciding whether to appeal the decision.

Referee Graham Salisbury showed Martin a straight red card following a challenge on Southend’s Theo Robinson, in first half stoppage time.

If the red card stands, Martin will miss the next four games, having been dismissed earlier in the season.

Speaking at the full-time whistle, Lovell said: “All I could see was that their player got to the ball before him. I would have to look back at it again.

Reaction: "It was one of the most disappointing first halves I think I have ever been involved in."

“I didn’t see it as a red card, I thought it was a free-kick yes, but a red card? He (the referee) has given seven or eight bookings in the game and it wasn’t that kind of game at all.

“Perhaps that is the way the game is at the moment but in our day there would probably have been hardly any bookings out there. Perhaps the game has gone a bit stupid regarding cautions and red cards.”

Asked if Martin should feel like he had let his team down, Lovell said: “He didn’t let the team down, he went in there to try and win the ball, that is all he did.

“He hasn’t gone in there meaning to kick someone, he has gone to try and win the ball, but the referee deems it as a red card.”

Report: Southend United 4 Gillingham 0