The rough treatment of Gillingham striker Oli Hawkins has led manager John Coleman to call for a different approach from officials.
Coleman watched the big striker get continually fouled against Fleetwood but the infringements largely went unpunished. It was an issue that grated on the manager.
“I think Oli did well,” said Coleman. “I think he led the line really well.
“The thing that really annoys me, when you get players like Oli, is that because they’re big, players are allowed to rip the shirts off the back the whole game.
“I think he got one foul. There must have been eight or nine that could have easily been given.
“That goes with the territory of being a big target man.
“I think the referee handled the game quite well, but it’s difficult for him. He doesn’t want to be stop-starting the game all the while. I don’t think anyone wants to see that, but if people are fouling you regularly like they were, the only way to stop it is you have to issue yellow cards.
“If people are persistently fouling someone, you have to issue yellow cards.
“I don’t want to see anyone get booked but that’s the only way you stop persistent fouling. When Oli plays, he gets persistently fouled.”
Hawkins was the only change to the midweek starting eleven, with Liverpool loanee Dom Corness left out of the matchday squad completely by Coleman, preferring different options on the bench.
Corness had started the previous three games.
Hawkins was making his first start under Coleman and played alongside Joe Gbode upfront, with Nevitt in support.
Nevitt got his first goal in 20 games, heading the Gills in front, but the Fleetwood equaliser came soon after as they sat back and invited pressure.
“We’d stopped trying to score again,” said the deflated Gills boss.
“I don’t get that. We’d had the lion’s share of the game up to that point and then we retreat and invite them on and get punished 30 seconds before half-time.
“I could see it coming. You’re trying to alter us, our shape, just to stop them having an attack. They had one attack that led to seven attacks and they scored with the seventh attack. We’ve got to be better than that.”
Coleman felt that the long throw into the box was causing Fleetwood problems on the night but they were unable to capitalise.
“They couldn’t handle the long throw,” he said.
“Ironically, we scored off a short throw but how we didn’t score from at least three of them I don’t know.
“You’ve got to get the players into the right positions. We’re trying to educate Joe (Gbode). He’s taking himself out the game, he’s wandering under the ball. It’s always going to go over his head.
“They’re young lads, you’ve got to try and educate them. You’ve got to try and soak them with information and hope that some goes in.”
The Gills had much more of the ball than Fleetwood on Tuesday, twice as many touches in the box but the shots on target stat was the same (five) and the visitors proved more clinical.
Recent games have seen the Gills looking more of a threat but creating chances and scoring them are a different thing.
Coleman said: “I’m deflated because I can take it if a team comes and outplays you and is better than you. They weren’t better than us, not by any stretch of the imagination.
“We’ve missed guilt-edge chances that most teams in this league take. For some reason, we just can’t seem to put the ball in the net.
“We did once. But one goal at home? When was the last time we scored two goals? Certainly not since I’ve been here.”
Gillingham last scored two goals on December 20, in a 2-2 draw with Cheltenham. They’ve managed just five goals in the 12 games since then.
