Gillingham (0) 0
Barnsley (0) 1 Waring 57
Att. 5,905
Entrance: Season Ticket
Programme: £3
Mileage: 56/5,060
Match Report
It does beg the question, as both camps cast their eyes towards next season, where do we actually want Gillingham to be in the coming months. I thought my opinion was going to appear defeatist, but a random survey of one, the bloke that sits next to me; it seems that my thoughts are not singular. Between now and the end of the season it would be great to remain in contention for a play-off place to maintain interest, but to actually make the end-of-season nerve-tingler, no thanks.
My thoughts go back to 1999 and the infamous play-off final against Manchester City. Once the heartache of that day had subsided, I began to think that maybe fate had served us a good hand. As a club, we were not ready for the Championship, we had a three-sided ground, and the infrastructure was not there. A year later, with the ground complete (well except for the Town End, which still awaits its regeneration) we were ready and having beaten Wigan Athletic we took our place and stayed in the Championship for five years. I believe we have a parallel this season on the field. We have a decent team in the making, but one that Justin Edinburgh needs to put on his own stamp and given a pre-season and some re-working of the squad, we may find that we are better prepared to have a promotion tilt and should we be good enough, lucky enough, then we might find ourselves not only ready for the Championship but also able to cement our position.
With a run of eight unbeaten games, 21 games of consecutive scoring, it was no wonder that the optimists were having their say. Whether some of them fell away after this somewhat unexpected defeat, judging by the after-match comments to Radio Kent, it would appear to be the case.
This was a dog of a game. A blustery wind and persistent rain made for conditions that neither team were able to master. Chances were very much at a premium and the one that won the game for Barnsley came in almost bizarre circumstances.
We can gloss over the first half as a virtual non-event with much of the same in the opening quarter hour of the second. A Gillingham attack down the left hand side saw full-back Bradley Garmston going down behind the bye-line at the Rainham End, with, we now know, a hamstring injury from which he was unable to continue. Substitute Joe Martin was summoned to take his place, but it appeared that his shirt had gone missing and another player from the bench was sent scampering to the dressing room for a replacement. The match was ongoing because Garmston was off the field of play and when the ball was worked to Ben Pearson in the space vacated by the injury his strike towards the far post was parried by Stuart Nelson into the path of George Waring who had a simple tap-in.
The shirt was duly brought to Martin, but it begged the question why not wear it in the first place. The explanation was given by Edinburgh in that he was wearing it but when he pulled his top over his head; his shirt came with it and somehow became lost. Surely any person knows what he was wearing at any given time?
Gillingham huffed and puffed in search of an equaliser. John Marquis as a result of substitutions found himself right wing, then left wing as well as his central starting position. The home side needed one chance to salvage a point from the game and it came into time added-on. A well-worked move ended with Jermaine McGlashen free on the right hand side of the box but he failed to lift the ball over the advancing Tykes’ goalkeeper, Alan Davies who smothered his effort.
Barnsley celebrated a third win on the spin and success first-time out for new manager, Lee Johnson, recruited from Oldham Athletic, so perhaps the result was not quite so surprising.
Performances and results have been very good in the last couple of months, so hopefully this was just a bump in the road. Will that road lead to the play-offs, you know my thoughts.
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