[ 28 Sep 24 ] GILLS v Barrow AFC Match Thread

[Garawa]

- Stephen Clemence returns to Priestfield with his Barrow side matching the Gills record of 5 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat. Both sides also have an identical goal difference of +8 with Barrow ahead only by virtue of scoring 1 more goal and conceding 1 more.
- The Gills edge the wins over Barrow by 11 wins to 7 and a further 6 meetings have been drawn. The last 8 meetings have seen Barrow win 4 of the ties whilst the Gills have won 1 - the 3-0 win at Priestfield back in April.
- The last 11 meetings between the sides have seen the home side win 7 times and the away side in 1 of the games - the last time Barrow won at Priestfield back in February 1970.
- Between October and December last year, Barrow won 5 away league games in a row. Since then, in the second half of last season and the start of this, they were winless on the road in 11 games (7 defeats) conceding 26 goals before winning their most recent 2.
- Last season, Barrow won 7 in a row in all competitions and 10 out of 12. The 24 league and cup games which followed produced just 6 more wins and 10 losses. This season, 6 wins and 3 defeats have come from their 11 league and cup games.
- The Gills have been ahead for 278 minutes in the league and only Barrow (313) have been ahead for longer. The Gills have only been behind for 60 minutes in League 2 and only Barrow (55) have endured a deficit for a shorter length of time.
- Before kick off, Barrow had 34 league shots on target (scoring 11 goals) and faced on 16 (conceding 3) - the difference of +18 being the biggest in the division. The Gills had taken 25 league shots on target (10 scored) and faced 24 (2 conceded).
- 5 wins after scoring the first goal is the best record in League 2, something achieved by 3 teams. Walsall and the Gills have won all 5 whilst Barrow are the other side to have won 5, drawing the other after scoring first 6 times.

EFL Sky Bet League 2: Gillingham FC v Barrow AFC
Opposition Team: Manager: Stephen Clemence. Wyll Stanway, Ben Jackson, Chris Stokes, Theo Vassell, Rory Feely (Katia Kouyate), Sam Foley, [c] Dean Campbell, Elliot Newby (Chris Popov), Emile Acquah (Dominic Telford), Neo Eccleston, Ged Garner (David Worrall)
Opposition League Position: Sky Bet League 2 (1st)
Referee: Neil Hair
Attendance: 7,166 (162)

(15:02) Kick Off [ 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 ]
(15.18) GOAL! Gillingham 1-0 Barrow AFC: J Clarke (Assist: McKenzie)
(15.33) Nolan, from very long range, nestles the ball into the side netting after narrowly missing the post.
(15.35) A Barrow attack seemingly a long way offside is allowed to continue but the shot hits the side netting.
(15.39) A second floated cross by Nolan finds the outstretched boot of Lapslie in space but he can't prevent guiding his shot wide.
(15.43) Lapslie does well to hold off his man inside the box.The angle is against him and it strikes the post!
(15 47) There will be 1 minute added to the first half.
(15.48) Half time 1-0

(16.03) The second half kicks off
(16.07) Morris, at full stretch, pulls the ball out of the air with one hand to deny a certain goal.
(16.08) McKenzie at pace drives a cross to the near post which is slammed narrowly wide of the post by a defender for a corner.
(16.11) Ogie clears a shot which doesn't leave the penalty area. The follow up shot only needs to slot under Morris but he pulls off a brilliant save for a corner.
(16.19) GOAL! Gillingham 2-0 Barrow AFC: R McKenzie (Assist: Nolan)
(16.26) Morris punches a Barrow effort away from underneath his crossbar.
(16.30) From a Gills worked corner, the Barrow keeper tips a Coleman header wide for another corner from which the ball zips through the legs of everybody, incredibly avoiding any touch which would deflect it in, and out for a third corner in a row.
(16.48) The referee adds 4 minutes to the end of the game.
(16.54) FULL TIME 2-0

Gills' League Position After Game: 1st
Match Report: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/cqxr4d94jwvt
Match highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU0THDJuvCo

[lidbid46]

I think we have to start believing now don’t we?! Six points from those last two games must be filling our players with so much confidence and making the other teams in our division be nervous about playing us. Dack being fit enough to play now as well must make us stronger; he was fairly regularly playing Championship games last season. It’s time to get excited everyone!!

[Garawa]

I think so Lidbid for a few reasons. We've played a number of sides currently "up there" on good runs including successive wins against the side in first. We've played and beat the runaway champions of the National League, this season and last season's top scorers and kept a clean sheet, a side who have invested heavily after coming down from League 1 and have done all this whilst scoring a good quantity of goals, conceding just 2 goals and keeping 6 clean sheets out of 8!

Players look like they want the ball, want to attack and we have key players still to return. Teams may figure out how to stop us but this feels different to the good start from last season as every player looks capable of attacking and scoring - you can't stop them all!! Very encouraging. Especially as we will have games shortly coming up against current mid-table sides.

[Garawa]

I thought Jayden Clarke was a real handful and could have had more than 1. Ehmer was incredible and completely bossed the box. Morris, for his age, is really showing the form of a keeper 15 years his junior with some brilliant saves. Nevitt was a pain and the defence struggled to contain him all game. Max Clark had the measure of their attacking right back all match. Nolan was quiet but they were unable to prevent his crosses causing damage. How Lapslie didn't have 2 goals in this game I'll never know! Little was Man of the Match all over the pitch breaking up play everywhere.

All this against a side with 6 wins and 1 defeat in 8 league games and a good defensive record and yet they looked nervous and much like us last season, over hit passes and second to the ball much of the time!!

OH, AND BY THE WAY......Stephen Clemence screaming at his players, urging his players forward from kick off and getting animated.....not sure I ever saw him do that for us last season!

[lidbid46]

How did the crowd react to Clemence? I hope they gave him a warm welcome.

[Garawa]

To be fair, I was in the loo so I missed that bit but, by and large, it all seemed quite polite (well, until the first decision went against us at least ha ha)