Brandon Hanlan’s impact at Gillingham has made him a marked man.

The striker was crowded out at Walsall last weekend and manager Steve Lovell believes the Gills will have to use that focus on their pace man Hanlan for their own benefit.

Lovell said: “Whenever he got the ball, there were three or four people around him, they obviously saw him as a threat and that is respect from the opposition.

“If there are people around him then there is going to be someone free. We need to utilise that space and create opportunities.

“Strength and pace does hurt teams and that is what we have got in our team.

“I spoke to Tom (Eaves) and Brandon about making runs unselfishly for other people but when you know you don't want the ball you don't want the ball, that is what other people need to realise, and then pick out other people. We will work on that.”

Lovell is also keen to remind his players to be cautious when attacking, after being caught on the counter on a couple of occasions at Walsall.

He said: “I do enjoy watching us play, it is just we have to be a little more mindful when we are attacking that we don’t leave ourselves susceptible to the counter attack.

“It is about the positions of our full-backs really, they are so attack minded. Defensive qualities go out of the window when we are in possession and you can’t have the both of them doing it. If one goes (forward) the other has to stay at home.”

While reminding his players of their defensive duties, Lovell won’t ever abandon his attacking philosophy.

He said: “We enjoy taking the game to teams and trying to unsettle them early on. That will never change.

“Leeds are the team for me, if you look at them and the way they have started this year, how they go and press and get after teams, they do it all the way through. It unsettles the opposition.

“I am not saying that is the right way, everyone is different, but that is the way I like to do it, I like to play from the front and have a go.”

“A lot of results we have got, we have gone ahead and then when you are 2-0 up you can go to a 4-5-1 (formation) and protect it, you have something then. It is hard the other way, that’s the way I feel, why defend the point? You might as well try and get three.”

More on the Gills in this week's Medway Messenger newspaper