Hess explains reasons behind loan move

"It's quite a sad day for me. But it might be that I need a bit of a break. I have been at the football club for a long time. I stepped down as manager, carried on playing and it's not been easy I must admit, but I have coped with it. It's not been easy for the players but we have all got on with our work.

"So I'm going to go to Hull for three months and I'm looking forward to seeing Peter again. I'm still contracted to Gillingham for another couple of years and obviously my thoughts will be with Gillingham week-in-week-out.

"I will be coming in on a Mondays to do a little bit of training and see the lads. I have great affection for this Club but I'll go up to Hull and, if I'm playing, which hopefully I will be, I'll try and push them on to try and help them get into this division.

"They have a good chance of promotion. They are looking for an automatic place - trying to win it. They are just behind Luton and Tranmere are just behind them so it's very tight.

"Lets hope that my influence and experience can help them. They have some good players up there and ex-Gillingham players that I know, Steve Butler is coaching, and there's Roland Edge and Junior Lewis. They have also got players that have played in the Premier League like Nick Barmby. So it's going to be good.

"All the time I'm playing up there I have got to be focused on what I'm doing for them. But in the back of my mind I will certainly be thinking of what is going on down here.

"I'm looking forward to it, it's a long way from home but an opportunity for me to play football until the end of the season. Then I'll have to sit down and think about what I'm going to do.

"Hopefully by me going there it will give the Stan a chance to bring a couple of players in and really push us on and out of the relegation battle.

"The fans have backed me all the way since I have been at this football club. This is my club and I thank them for everything they have done for me, and hope that they thank me for what I have done for them as well."

Talking to the KM, he said, "It's hard. It's been difficult and the new manager appreciates that. It's been difficult for the players as well, which is understandable. They're just starting to come to terms with it.

"At times I haven't played, which is fine because I've been injured. But when you're not playing, or managing, or coaching, basically you're doing nothing and I'm not that type of person.

"I want to earn my money and at that time I didn't feel I was earning my money. But I came back and played in a few games. I didn't play at the weekend because I had a slight calf problem.

"I resigned because I felt the players needed a new voice and over the last few weeks it's started to work a little bit."

"I was so frustrated (in his final match as manager, a 4-1 defeat at Crewe) because we played quite well and we could have been three goals up before they even scored.

"I went home and decided to do what I did. The over-riding factor was that I didn't want to see this club go down.

"We worked too hard to come as far as we have and I thought maybe the players had maybe had enough of me as manager after four-and-a-half years.

"Maybe they needed someone else with more ideas to turn it around. The new man has come in and has brought some new ideas and has done very well.

"I have applied for a few jobs. Cambridge were very interested in me going there. I wasn't offered the job – they wanted to talk to me – but I didn't in the end.

"I was interested in the big jobs that came up at Coventry and Nottingham Forest but knew deep down probably with people like Micky Adams and Gary Megson interested it was going to be very difficult for me to get the job."

Hull City manager and former Gills boss Peter Taylor is enthused about Hessenthaler's arrival at the KC Stadium. He told the BBC, "I think if Andy can come here and have three months with us, I think it will do him the world of good.

"I think it will recharge his batteries and I've got no doubt about it.

"I think he'll enjoy it but the most important thing is that I want Andy to come here and play football and do very well for us."