By Luke Cawdell

Andy Hessenthaler believes there is a "new breed" of fan at Gillingham which is making life tough for the current crop of players.

The Gillingham manager (pictured) says he feels sorry for his players who are under pressure from the stands to bring back the glory days of Championship football.

Hessenthaler was a key part of the success at the Gills, both as player and manager, and he believes the fans have been spoilt.

Speaking after the defeat to Dagenham on Easter Monday, where the Gills were booed off the pitch from some quarters, Hessenthaler said: "Away from home they are terrific and get behind them but at home sometimes they have high expectation levels, which is rightly so, but it works two ways."

He added: "They are waiting for us and we are waiting for them but we have to get the balance right. Back in the good old days, when I played out there, it was unbelievable and the fans from start to finish were right behind you for every game.

"There is a new breed of fan at the club now, anyway, and in those days the expectation levels perhaps weren’t as high as they are now. We got into the Championship and maybe that was our downfall over the last few years.

"We got to a fantastic position in that league and I feel sorry for the guys here at times. They don’t go out there trying not to win games. If you are not mentally strong enough it can affect you and sometimes it affects some of our players."

Do you think a certain section of the Gills support give the players too hard a time? Have your say below.