Stevenage 3 Gillingham 1

Match 56/13/1083 - Tuesday, 4th February 2014 - League One

Stevenage (2) 3 Zoko 20, Charles 30,60
Gillingham (0) 1 McDonald 55
Att. 2,399

Entrance: £19 Senior
Programme: £3
Mileage: 180/5,753

Match Report

It is said that once a manager sends his players over the white line then they are on their own and have to take responsibility for their actions. Of course, if things are not going to plan he has the option of hooking three of them, but whether the manager is as animated as Steve Evans or inanimate like Peter Taylor they are in the hands of the players they have selected. And there is the rub, the players that cross that white line are the choice of the man in charge.

When the Gillingham team was announced there was much discussion and no little scratching of heads. This is being written with hindsight, but taking each change one by one, as it was seen on the night and with the benefit of the aforementioned.

Adam Barrett replaced by Callum Davies. On the night, I thought it was a surprise and not a change I agreed with. It is true that the Barrett and Legge central defensive combination lacks pace and that Davies has waited patiently for his opportunity to slot in alongside one or the other. Peter Taylor's reason for making the change was later given as Barrett being tired following Saturday's game on a heavy pitch. Personally, I felt that Davies' inclusion was overdue but I also felt that a home game would have been a more appropriate time. Ultimate result: Davies did himself no favours with a patchy performance and was directly responsible for the opening goal and the subsequent sending-off.

Amine Linganzi replaced by Jake Hessenthaler. It was always suspected that this change was by virtue of injury to Linganzi and it was later revealed that Linganzi was suffering from tendonitis. Hessenthaler was the obvious choice.

Michael Harriman replaced by Connor Smith. This was the change that had most people scratching their heads. Smith had hardly covered himself in glory when coming on as substitute on Saturday and Harriman had a reasonably good performance. Once again, tiredness was given as the reason. Ultimate result: Harriman was brought into the action in for the second half as a result of the sending-off.

The game's pivotal moment came in the 20th minute. Darius Charles skipped past the challenge of Davies on the byeline and pulled the ball back for Francois Zoko to fire a fierce shot from about 10 yards that would, without doubt, have hit the back of net had not Elliott Hewitt made a two handed save that Stuart Nelson would have been proud of. Referee Stuart Attwell pointed to the spot and brandished a red card to Hewitt. Had Barrett been on the field, would he have cleaned out Charles before the cross, pure conjecture of course, but I doubt the Stevenage man would have skipped the challenge quite so easily.

Zoko rolled the penalty to Nelson's right as the keeper committed himself in the opposite direction. At this point, I felt that Adebayo Akinfenwa needed to be sacrificed for Harriman as a genuine full back. Taylor opted to move Smith back into Hewitt's position and floundered like a fish out of water. Smith was immediately targetted and ex-Gillingham youngster Luke Freeman was going past him with ease, no second warnings were needed, but Harriman stayed on the bench. Gillingham actually had a great chance to equalise when Cody McDonald received a long through ball, rounded the Stevenage keeper, but lifted the ball over the crossbar as the angle widened.

Smith's inability to cope with Freeman produced a second Stevenage goal on the half hour. Freeman got past Smith, cut the ball back to Darius Charles who fired home from eight yards. The home side threatened to run riot against the ten men with Joe Martin having to head clear from under his own crossbar before the break.
Peter Taylor made the half-time substitution that was crying out to be made 25 minutes earlier with Akinfenwa making way for Harriman. Smith moved back into midfield and looked comfortable and fired an early shot across the face of goal. Gillingham found a route back into the game 10 minutes into the half, a superb through ball from Bradley Dack, who had another very good game, sent McDonald clear and he beat Chris Day from 12 yards as the goalkeeper advanced.

The flames of a comeback were quickly extinguished when, four minutes later, Freeman sent a free kick to the far post from where Peter Hartley touched the ball back to Charles to rifle home from close range.

Credit should go to Gillingham for a decent second half fight; McDonald went close twice more, once hitting the post with his follow-up effort being cleared from the line.

A one exit car park was enough of an incentive to give the time added on a miss, we left disconsolate but certainly not as down-hearted as at Colchester.

Hewitt would perhaps, on another day, allow the ball to travel into the net rather than making the save with his hands, but I think that was a purely instinctive action. Peter Taylor could do nothing but stare across the white line as his plans unfolded with the red card, but within his power was the ability to reduce the impact that going a man light was to have on the next 70 minutes; delaying the substitution left a hill to climb that was too high when the change was eventually made. Players may well cross the white line, but if this game proved a point, it is that from the sidelines the manager can have as much influence on the game as a defender's hands.