[ 9 Feb 19 ] GILLS v Barnsley Match Thread

[Garawa]

- The Gills have won 7 of the 31 meetings whilst Barnsley have won 15, including 7 of the last 8 matches between the sides.
- Barnsley have only won 3 of their 15 visits to Priestfield however 2 of those have come in their last 3 trips. The Gills have only won 3 of their last 9 home matches against Barnsley however they won the last match in February 2016.
- After 4 defeats in 5 league games on the road, Barnsley are unbeaten in their last 4.
- Last Saturday, Barnsley beat a Scunthorpe side 2-0 that had ended 6 straight league defeats by winning 5 and drawing 1 of the 6 after. It extended Barnsley's unbeaten league run to 10 games (7 wins).
- 9 games ago Barnsley were 7th in the league, 12 points behind then leaders Portsmouth. They are now a point ahead of them in 2nd place, 6 points behind new leaders Luton.
- Barnsley have conceded 26 league goals - the joint lowest amount. It is 23 fewer than the 49 goals conceded by the Gills.
- Barnsley have managed a whopping 289 shots off target this season - an average of 1.4 more per game than last season's 46 game highest total of 378. They have managed 454 shots in total, 117 more than the Gills.
- Barnsley have won the most corners in League 1 (200) and faced the least (125). They have also faced the fewest shots on target (86), managing 79 more shots on target than they faced, whilst the Gills have faced the most on target (180), 59 more than they took.

15.03 Kick Off [ 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 ]

15.03
GOAL! Gillingham 0-1 Barnsley: Moore (goal scored after 16 seconds)
Barnsley have conceded just 11 leads (the joint lowest in League 1) from their 31 league games so far and this is the Gills 22nd in 31. Barnsley have won 15 and drawn 2 of the 17 league they previously scored first in and won all 6 away from home.

3.20
Barnsley hit the crossbar.

3.22
Hanlan heads over unchallenged from 3 yards after the keeper drops the ball when clattered into by his own player.

3.23
Tom Eaves forces a fantastic save from the keeper who could only take some pace off the ball and it deflects for a corner.

3.47
GOAL! Gillingham 0-2 Barnsley: Woodrow

15.50 Half time 0-2 (47:02)
Barnsley have won all 13 league matches they led at half time in and the Gills are winless when losing at the break, losing 11 of the 12 games.

16.06
The second half kicks off.

16.24
Barnsley see 2 shots saved by Holy and a defender on the floor as they were being pummelled before a third shot was cleared off the line and sliced over the bar by Ehmer.

16.32
GOAL! Gillingham 0-3 Barnsley: Woodrow

16.41
GOAL! Gillingham 1-3 Barnsley: List

16.50
Zakuani and Moore clash. Moore is stretchered off, Zakuani limps off leaving the Gills down to 10 men and there is 12 minutes of stoppage time to play.

17.02
GOAL! Gillingham 1-4 Barnsley: Brown

17.03 FULL TIME 1-4 (104:03)

Attendance: 4,791 (786)
Position: 21st
Referee: Trevor Kettle
Match Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmMJcNOMTxE
BBC Match Report: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47098937

[gillsfan1066]

Well thanks very much , armed with that info I am trying to get a bet on, Barnsley winning by 10 goals, lol.

[Garawa]

Ha ha, its the "easy" teams that are hard to beat lol

[gillsfan1066]

We didn't need to go after players on the first few days the transfer market was open did we, after all we have managed to get FIVE big points out of 18, and our G/F and G/A have gone down hill to the tune of 5/12, and look were in the relegation zone.
Time for a change at the top , Lovell has had long enough to get it right and he has failed miserably, he is NOT a Division One Manager, he has to go NOW before it is too late .
There are no "easy games" left, were now going to find the top teams the Sunderlands, Lutons, Pt'boros are going to be looking at the chance of playing us and licking there chops, already counting three points against a pathetic Gills team, and those games against Plymth, Bradford, The Shrews, B Rovers etc are going to become dog fights, none of them are going to roll over and give us the points.
I am now getting into panic mode , even the points we have been getting have somewhat been a bit lucky of late, where's those 4-0 wins and 3-0 wins from late October early November gone, we need some of those scores now.
Come on Scally wake up and look at the table, Lovell go in Monday morning and resign, and players come on WAKE THE **** UP, no one wants to watch 4th Division Football AGAIN .

[Garawa]

I'm less concerned with the players than I am protecting tradition. After all, this squad beat Cardiff and Portsmouth twice without conceding and have won some very difficult away games and we have added some decent players (not sure about King though). The problem I see is a vicious circle at home. We always shoot towards the Rainham End in the second half yet it is doing us no favours. By that point we are often out of games. We always let the opposition kick off first and EVERY team attacks at full speed. We are rabbits in headlights, concede then chase the game but it's OK because we are shooting towards the Rainham End in the second half. We barely ever score a first half home goal this season and Barnsley went for it straight from the off. So did Wycombe. So did Walsall. So did Luton. So did Sunderland. We are at home yet allow the away side to control the game just so we can have our preferred end in the second half. I'd rather shoot there and be 1-0 up then 1-0 down. Because of this, fans aren't coming and the atmosphere is tetchy and the players struggle. So less people come.

[gillsfan1066]

Simple solution, Rainham End stays where it is now and is called The Rainham End what was the Gillingham End becomes RAINHAM END 2 . PROBLEM SOLVED.
I hope NO ONE turns up for the next Home game, then maybe the owner and his wallet might wake up ,realize that the thousands and thousands of pounds he pays to his wife and son to do next to nothing might be better spent on players and a new manager.
OK I have been trying to avoid saying it but I can't any more. Your theory of kicking off playing one way and not the other, hahahahahaha, give me a brake, hahaha. Mr.G, your telling us, your 'umble citizens of this site, that this group of grown men have bad vibes when they kick off facing ' the wrong way ', and spend the first 45 minutes of the game just drifting along waiting for the second half so they can score only at the Rainham End, hahahaha.
Remember it's a simple game, you kick the ball, you head the ball, sometimes you win,sometimes you lose and sometimes you draw,hell sometimes it even rains, but you have to win more than you lose to stay IN DIVISION ONE..
OK here is the solution to getting rid of the bad JUJU in the Rainham End 2. Mr G, contact Mr.Lidbit he seems to have plenty of time on his hands doing nothing, after all the cricket season is in hibernation, ( just ask the players in the Windies) , and tell him to go Monday Morning and line the whole team up on the 12 yard box, players,subs, 2nd eleven, women's team at the RAINHAM END 2, Manager , Owner , backroom staff, grounds keepers as well ,even the tea ladys and tell him to take Salt, to sprinkle around the 12 yard box, a row of Black Tourmaline beads to wave around his head, Burn white sage on the penalty spot , then have the players run around inside the Rainham End 2 half of the pitch to CLAIM the space.
Thats it, thats all there is , PROBLEM SOLVED, GGGOOO MMMMRRRR. LIDBITTTTTTTTTT.

[Kent_UckyFriedGills]

Another disappointing home defeat.To concede in 16 seconds against anyone is bad,but against a good side in Barnsley you really are up against it.We keep conceding threes and fours far too often at home.We now sit in the bottom four.Scunthorpe is a must win game.

[fan_of_mulligan]

My Match Report For Gillingham V Barnsley..........................


I am sure that Steve Lovell went through everything in training during the week, worked on attacking and defending set pieces and probably went over his final notes in his pre-match team talk that we need to keep things tight and organised at the back, and look to take our chances whenever they came our way, Steve Lovell also spoke about hitting Barnsley on the front-foot and looking to take the game to them, well, that team talk went out of the window inside seventeen seconds, because what on earth were Gillingham doing collectively for the opening goal of the game, Now Connor Ogilvie is going to get the bulk of the blame, and that is understandable because Connor Ogilvie should have kicked the ball into Row Z, But I don't think any of us were expecting Barnsley to score after seventeen seconds, and our game-plan has gone out the window completely and we're facing an uphill battle right from the get go, as for the opening goal itself, Cameron McGeehan gets the game underway from the kick off and from there, It's a long ball down the right side of the pitch - Gillingham's Left - And Connor Ogilvie should have kicked the ball into touch, But even so, Jacob Brown has kept the ball in by the byline, And Jacob Brown passes the ball inside towards Mamadou Thiam at the near post, and one back-heal from Mamadou Thiam takes Josh Rees, Gabriel Zakuani and Mark Byrne out of the game and Cameron McGeehan see's his initial shot on goal saved by Tomas Holy and Kieffer Moore is there to stick the re-bound into the back of the net, and inside the opening seventeen seconds of the game, Barnsley had taken the lead - Now I initially asked the question why didn't Connor Ogilvie didn't stick the ball into Row z and just concede the throw on ???, but also, why does one back-heal take out Gabriel Zakuani, Mark Byrne and Josh Rees and gives Cameron McGeehan time and space inside Gillingham's Penalty Area to get a shot off on goal ??? - Maybe it is so early on in the game and we're not switched on, But that goal from Barnsley just gave Gillingham a mountain to climb inside the first minute of the game.

And from here, Barnsley could have doubled or even tripled there lead in quick succession, From A Free Kick, Cameron McGeehan passes the ball short to Dimitri Cavare, And Dimitri Cavare has time and space to fire in an dangerous in-swinging cross which goes just over Kieffer Moore's Head and Cauley Woodrow manages to direct his header on target and Tomas Holy manages to make a routine save, And From Here, Gillingham quickly look to turn defence into attack, and I actually thought that Brandon Hanlan had done enough work down the right side of the pitch to force Barnsley into conceding a corner kick, however, A Goal-Kick was awarded in Barnsley's Favour.

Barnsley should have gone 2-0 up after just four minutes, A Long Throw On Down The Gordon Road Side Of The Pitch is won initially in the air by Connor Ogilvie and Cauley Woodrow is ahead of Max Ehmer and manages to retain possession of the ball, and Gabriel Zakuani has unintentionally played the ball against Kieffer Moore, who gets the ball under control and is now through one on one with Tomas Holy and Kieffer Moore see's his low effort on goal brilliantly saved by Tomas Holy and Tomas Holy is furious with his team-mates and rightfully so as well, because the defending has been poor and Tomas Holy has made three saves within the first four minutes of the match, one of those saves see's Kieffer Moore fire in the re-bound for 1-0, But Barnsley have created so many clear cut goal-scoring opportunities and the score-line should be 2-0 already.

Billy King tries to take on Dimitri Cavare by the byline and at the very least win a corner kick for The Gills In The Eighth Minute Of The Match, But Dimitri Cavare was able to shield the ball out of play for A Barnsley Goal-Kick, I think it would be harsh to judge Billy King and Graham Burke on there home debuts for Gillingham Against Barnsley On Saturday, But Graham Burke's Performance Against Coventry City the previous week was very promising and he was unlucky not to score at The Ricoh Arena, It's not easy to come in and make your home debut against A Barnsley Team who are flying high in League One, and when you combine that with Gillingham putting in a poor performance, I think it is best to reserve judgement on our loanee's at this present moment in time.

Cameron McGeehan almost doubled his lead with a fired low effort wide of Tomas Holy's Right Hand Post After Twenty Minutes, However, I thought that Mark Byrne was fouled in the build up to that goal-scoring opportunity for Barnsley, and while there were one or two questionable refereeing decision's from Referee Trevor Kettle, we cannot look to any refereeing decision which contributed to any of the goals that Gillingham conceded against Barnsley On Saturday, and it would be very poor from myself to try and deflect our performance (or lack of performance) on to Trevor Kettle, I did think that Mark Byrne was fouled into the build up of this goal-scoring opportunity though.

Seventeen Minutes Into The Match, And Barnsley create two golden goal-scoring opportunities and the visitor's really should have doubled there lead, Mamadou Thiam has possession of the ball for Barnsley on the left wing, And Mamadou Thiam runs forward in possession of the ball and manages to pick out Alex Mowatt with a defence splitting pass, And Alex Mowatt see's his first time effort on goal brilliantly saved by Tomas Holy who has made another one on one save, but the chance is still there for Barnsley, Because Alex Mowatt is on to the loose ball, And Alex Mowatt passes the ball back to Jacob Brown, who takes a touch to control the ball before whipping in an dangerous low cross and Max Ehmer can only get the ball partially clear and away from danger and Mamadou Thiam gets the loose ball under control before losing out to Brandon Hanlan who runs the ball out of play for a throw on, But it is from this throw on where Barnsley hit the crossbar, Dani Pinillos throws the ball short to Kieffer Moore, who passes the ball back to Dani Pinillos, And Dani Pinillos passes the ball through to Mamadou Thiam on the over-lap, And Mamadou Thiam takes several touches in possession of the ball before seeing his cross deflect off Max Ehmer and Jacob Brown headers the ball back across the face of goal and Alex Mowatt see's his first time effort crash off the underside of the crossbar and stay out and Gillingham clear there defensive lines and somehow manage to survive, despite the fact that Barnsley could and perhaps should be 3-0 up inside the opening twenty minutes of the game.

Gillingham then manage to win themselves a free kick thanks to Connor Ogilvie quickly throwing the ball long down the line while Barnsley were protesting that the throw on should have been there's, And Tom Eaves was fouled by Ethan Pinnock - who was fortunate not to be booked for fouling Tom Eaves, And Gillingham were awarded a free kick - and from the resulting free kick, Gillingham had the chance to score the equaliser, Graham Burke whips in an dangerous in-swinging cross from the resulting free kick, and Adam Davies cannot gather the cross because one of his own team-mates obstruct him and Gabriel Zakuani hooks the ball towards Brandon Hanlan who headers the ball over the crossbar, I am not sure if Brandon Hanlan's effort on goal would have counted as a goal had the effort on goal being on target, Because Adam Davies took the goal-kick on the six yard line in an central position, and not from either side of the goal, And once play resumed, Gillingham created another decent goal-scoring opportunity, As Adam Davies kicks the ball long down-field and Connor Ogilvie wins the aerial challenge up against Jacob Brown and headers the ball forwards towards Tom Eaves, And Tom Eaves is now through one on one on goal and Tom Eaves first time effort towards goal is saved by Adam Davies and Gillingham win a corner kick which we unfortunately cannot capitalise on.

Barnsley almost doubled there lead from A Gillingham Defensive Error, Cauley Woodrow passes the ball centrally to Cameron McGeehan on the halfway line, And Cameron McGeehan passes the ball out-wide to Jacob Brown, who threads the ball through to Cauley Woodrow, and there was confusion between Cauley Woodrow and Cameron McGeehan, and the loose ball runs through to Max Ehmer, And Max Ehmer smashes the ball against Cameron McGeehan, and the ball ricochets in The Barnsley Midfielder's Favour, And Cameron McGeehan passes the ball square to Kieffer Moore on the egde of Gillingham's Penalty Area, And Kieffer Moore works his way into a shooting position, And Kieffer Moore see's his low effort on goal saved by Tomas Holy.

Barry Fuller does brilliantly to block Dimitri Cavare's Shot on goal which takes all of the power out of the strike and Tomas Holy was able to gather the ball with ease, And Gillingham quickly go down the other end of the pitch and Tom Eaves is fouled for being pulled down to the deck and Gillingham have been awarded a free kick, which somehow turns into a goal-scoring opportunity for Barnsley thanks to a horrendous back-pass by Gabriel Zakuani to Kieffer Moore, who is one on one with Tomas Holy, who manages to intercept the ball on the edge of his penalty area and draw the foul from Barnsley's Top Goal-Scorer.

And we were coming up to five minutes from the half time interval, and Connor Ogilvie headers an dangerous in-swinging cross partially clear and away from danger and Billy King gets on to the loose ball, And Billy King runs forward in possession of the ball, but his pass back to Barry Fuller is woefully under-hit, and Mamadou Thiam gets to the loose ball first, and works his way into a shooting position and Mamadou Thiam see's his low shot on target saved by Tomas Holy, Unfortunately for Gillingham, 1-0 became 2-0 to Barnsley just before half time, Jacon Brown passes the ball out-wide to Mamadou Thiam, Who runs forward in possession of the ball, And Mamadou Thiam passes the ball square to Kieffer Moore, who tees up Alex Mowatt, And Alex Mowatt passes the ball out-wide to Mamadou Thiam, who whips in a fantastic cross and Cauley Woodrow's looping header hits the back of the net, and that second goal just before half time just made things even more difficult for Gillingham, Because while we did struggle for the most part against Barnsley, I did think that Gillingham had improved and The Gills created some half chances to score an equaliser, But that second goal before half time was a kick in the stomach.

HALF TIME: GILLINGHAM 0-2 BARNSLEY

[fan_of_mulligan]

SECOND HALF:

Fouls and free kicks slowed the pace of the game down with Barnsley looking to ensure that the come-back isn't on, and some of the decision making from Referee Trevor Kettle was infuriating to say the least, But after Fifty Three Minutes, Steve Lovell made his first substitution of the match as Elliott List came on to replace Billy King, And I am not going to judge Billy King on making his full debut for Gillingham against A Barnsley Side who are flying high in League One and expected to gain promotion back into The Championship at the first attempt, but there are sterner tests to come where we will hopefully see better performances from Billy King and the rest of our loan signings.

And after that substitution, Jacob Brown's header from an dangerous in-swinging cross down the right side of the pitch fails to hit the target and 2-0 keeps Gillingham in with a slim chance of getting something out of the game, But if we are to get anything out of the game, then chances need to be taken whenever they came our way, and a disappointing cross from a free kick from Graham Burke in a promising position on the pitch doesn't hurt matters for The Gills, But Barnsley really should have extended the score-line further in there favour, as Max Ehmer blocks Cauley Woodrow's shot on goal inside Gillingham's Penalty Area with a brilliantly timed block and Tomas Holy dives on to the loose ball, However, Barnsley should have scored from the second goal-scoring opportunity just a few minutes later on in the match, and it was only thanks to a combined effort from Max Ehmer, Barry Fuller and Tomas Holy that prevented Barnsley from making sure that the game was well and truly won, Cameron McGeehan and Cauley Woodrow manage to intercept the ball from Mark Byrne between the two of them, and Cauley Woodrow clips the ball down the line towards Dimitri Cavare, who keeps the ball in play and Dimitri Cavare manages to thread the ball through to Kieffer Moore, who passes the ball square to Mamadou Thiam inside Gillingham's Penalty Area, And Mamadou Thiam see's his first effort on goal blocked by Barry Fuller, the follow up effort on goal is saved by Tomas Holy, and Cameron McGeehan see's his effort on goal cleared off the line by Max Ehmer, And Gillingham are trying there very best to keep the score-line down, even though defensively, Gillingham have been all over the place - and that is because this all came from an attack that broke down as Graham Burke had little passing options available to him and Connor Ogilvie's pass to Mark Byrne was intercepted, I think Gillingham were down to ten men while this attack was in place, because Dean Parrett had to come on for Josh Rees, who was unable to continue because of injury.

Barnsley continue to dominate as Mamadou Thiam tries his luck with an effort on goal which fails to hit the target by some considerable distance, Tomas Holy also has to save an effort on goal from Kieffer Moore which is hit on target from twenty yards out, and in-between those two attempts on goal, Mark Byrne's Effort on goal is looped up into the air and goes out of play for A Gillingham Corner Kick which unfortunately doesn't result in a goal-scoring opportunity for Gillingham, Tomas Holy then has to tip Alex Mowatt's long range effort over the crossbar as we reach The Seventieth Minute Of The Match, But it is from the resulting corner kick where Barnsley make the points safe and score the third goal of the match, Mamadou Thiam whips in an dangerous in-swinging cross towards the near post, Liam Lindsay headers the ball towards the far post and Cauley Woodrow has sealed the win for Barnsley with an excellent finish at the far post - I think there was always a slim chance at 2-0, but once the score-line was extended to 3-0, then it was game over, Barnsley then substitute Cauley Woodrow, and coming on in his place was Mike-Steven Bähre, Who is on loan from German Bundesliga Side Hannover 96, And while Barnsley have got a very impressive squad which should gain promotion back into The Championship at the first attempt, Gillingham have been terrible, and our performance levels have not been acceptable.

It is now damage limitation for The Gills with Barry Fuller making an important clearance - And I thought that Barry Fuller deserved credit for his performance against Barnsley, along with Tomas Holy, And I have given our loan signings the benefit of the doubt as well - Gabriel Zakuani and Max Ehmer both make important blocks to divert the ball out of play for corner kicks as Gillingham are looking to keep the score-line down, And Tomas Holy manages to gather a dangerous in-swinging cross from the second corner kick, Steve Lovell then makes his third and final substitution as Regan Charles-Cook comes on to replace Connor Ogilvie, We were not short of midfielder options on the bench, But maybe Leonardo Da Silva Lopez could have come on to make his home debut for The Gills.

But Gillingham did at least score a consolation goal, it was actually a good passing move between Tom Eaves, Regan Charles-Cook and Graham Burke, And Dimitri Cavare takes out Graham Burke and Gillingham have been awarded a free kick down The Medway Stand / Rainham End Of The Pitch, And From The Resulting Free Kick, Dean Parrett has whipped in an dangerous in-swinging cross and Barnsley can only get the ball partially clear to the edge of there penalty area, Ans Elliott List takes a touch to control the ball before smashing the ball into the bottom right corner of the net, And there is nothing Adam Davies can do about that, Is the come-back on, unlikely, But let's at least go down fighting Gills and give Barnsley something to think about defensively.

And straight from the kick off, there was that horrible collision between Gabriel Zakuani and Kieffer Moore, and there was a eight minute delay while both players received treatment, Gabriel Zakuani was unable to continue and Gillingham went down to ten men and Gabriel Zakuani is now out injured until the end of the season, which is a devastating blow, Kieffer Moore needed to be taken straight to Hospital and Barnsley used there third and final substitution as Jordan Green comes on to replace Kieffer Moore, Who I wish the speediest of recoveries because that injury looked a bad one, I cannot believe that Barry Fuller and Gabriel Zakuani were booked because of that head to head collision though.

Mamadou Thiam fails to hit the target with an dangerous cross / shot towards the far right post, But could Gillingham have pulled another goal back and set up another grand-stand finish, Because Graham Burke is fouled in the same position where Gillingham scored the consolation goal, But this time, Dean Parrett's cross was disappointing and Adam Davies makes a routine save, Gillingham are then trying to give it a go in the closing stages and Brandon Hanlan is fouled and Referee Trevor Kettle doesn't award Gillingham A Free Kick, But Barnsley do manage to win themselves a free kick which leads to there fourth goal being scored deep into stoppage time, Mamadou Thiam is fouled down close to the byline towards The Brian Moore Stand / Gordon Road Stand Side Of The Pitch, And From The Resulting Free Kick, Mamadou Thiam pass the ball short to Mike Bahre, who works his way into a shooting position before seeing his shot on goal saved by Tomas Holy, And Jacob Brown smashes the ball into the back of the net via the under-side of the crossbar for 4-1, and there were some half-hearted appeals for hand-ball from Gillingham prior to that effort on goal hitting the back of the net, and while the numerical advantage played a part for the fourth goal, going down to ten men because of injury did not affect the out-come of this match.

And that was the last bit of action before the full time whistle, Gillingham deserved to lose, and had Barnsley out-classed Gillingham and scored four good goals and we could just put our hands up and say that Gillingham gave everything, But Barnsley are on another level, then fair enough, but we cannot say that because the performance from Gillingham was poor, Man Of The Match is a struggle and Gillingham now have fifteen matches remaining to retain our League One Status for another season, I also have to say that this was the worst performance we have seen from Tom Eaves In A Gillingham Shirt, Because I was very disappointed with Tom Eaves performance, I think there are many players who played against Barnsley who deserved to be dropped just so that these players get a kick up the back-side for the remaining matches of The 2018 / 2019 Season, because I think Gillingham need at least seven wins to make sure that we avoid the drop, which is easier said then done.

FULL TIME: GILLINGHAM 1-4 BARNSLEY

OTHER COMMENTS.

Also, I don't like to say this because I am always someone who is a strong believer in long term managerial appointments if you want to achieve a level of success or consistently, What Gareth Ainsworth has managed to achieve at Wycombe Wanderers has been incredible, and while John Coleman and Keith Hill are in there second spells at Accrington Stanley and Rochdale respectively, both manager's have done fantastic jobs at Accrington Stanley and Rochdale with limited resources, But I do think that the conversation has started on Steve Lovell's Managerial Future At Gillingham Football Club and regardless if Gillingham are in League One or League Two Next Season, Do Gillingham make a managerial change in the summer ??? What Steve Lovell has managed to achieve on limited resources himself at Gillingham Football Club has to be commended, but with the recent signings of Ricky Holmes, Leonardo Da Silva Lopez, Billy King, Graham Burke and Tahvon Campbell, we have got to say that Paul Scally has backed Steve Lovell in the transfer market and there is perhaps more pressure, more expectation and more accountability on Steve Lovell now, because he has been backed in the transfer market, and there is real pressure on Steve Lovell to keep Gillingham Football Club In League One - And I really do hope that Steve Lovell can keep Gillingham Football Club In League One - But survival might not be enough to keep Steve Lovell in the managerial position at Gillingham Football Club, And I do think that we will have serious conversations about Steve Lovell's Managerial Future At Gillingham In The Summer.

And that is a real shame, because we all want Steve Lovell to succeed at Gillingham Football Club, And Steve Lovell himself has mentioned many times how long he has had to wait before the managerial position became available and there is no doubt that Steve Lovell genuinely cares about Gillingham Football Club and he wants to succeed as manager, There is also the bigger picture that Gillingham have been in A League One Relegation Dog-Fight for every season we have been in League One with the exception of The 2015 / 2016 Season where Gillingham were challenging for promotion and our form tailed off at the end of that season, 20th in 2016 / 2017, Last Season 17th, and this season, currently 21st, Gillingham are surviving, not thriving in League One, and how do we make the necessary changes to turn 20th, 17th and 21st, into 13th, 12th and 11th placed finishes in League One, or potentially push for promotion into The Championship ???

Another thing I am going to add is the attendance and attendances in general, the attendance for Saturday's match against Barnsley was 4,791, and Barnsley brought 786 supporters with them to Priestfield Stadium, I think Gillingham have lost 1,000 regular Season Ticket Holders, and that could well be down to many contributing factors, price being the obvious one that stands out, But Gillingham's Home Form over the past few season's hasn't been great and the atmosphere for home games has been mixed to say the least, And when I went to The Chairman's Meeting With Paul Scally, Many of us there did suggest slashing Season Ticket Prices in half on the basis that we double the gate, But the counter argument Paul Scally put forward was what happened if the club slashed season ticket prices in half and the gate isn't doubled and those who had paid for there Season Tickets had to pay up a top up fee because we didn't reach our target of say 5,000 Season Ticket Holders For Example ???

I was disappointing with Mark Byrne and Josh Rees in Central Midfield and the lack of protection they add to the back four / back five when they play in the middle of midfield and I think both central midfielders may well find that there positions in the starting line up is under threat, Josh Rees gets the benefit of the doubt because he has been scoring goals recently and made the step up from The Conference National To League One, But Mark Byrne has really struggled this season, and with Dean Parrett, Callum Reilly, Darren Oldaker, Leonardo Da Silva Sanchez, Billy Bingham and Regan Charles-Cook to call upon, there are far more options in the centre of midfield to call upon, although one of these players mentioned may well have to play in defence with Gabriel Zakuani now out injured.

Gillingham have been conceding goals at home on a regular basis, and here are some of the score-lines that reflect this.....

Gillingham 1-4 Barnsley
Gillingham 0-3 Walsall
Gillingham 1-3 Doncaster Rovers
Gillingham 1-3 Luton Town
Gillingham 2-4 Peterborough United
Gillingham 1-4 Sunderland

That's Six Home Matches, Zero Points, Scored Six Conceded Twenty One and we're talking about a minus fifteen goal difference from these six home matches, And goal difference could well be the difference between Gillingham staying up and going down this season, and I think our away form is going to be key to our survival hopes, But what is also going to be crucial are the home games against Oxford United, Bristol Rovers, Shrewsbury Town, Plymouth Argyle and the away trips to AFC Wimbledon and Bradford City, those six matches are going to be vital for The Gills, But back to back wins against Scunthorpe United and Sunderland (unlikely I know) in the next two league games could completely change Gillingham's Season in our favour.

And finally, Since Gillingham's Promotion Back Into League One and from The 2013 / 2014 Season, Gillingham have had Martin Allen, Peter Taylor, Justin Edinburgh, Ade Pennock and Steve Lovell as Permanent Manager's, We have also had The Gang Of Four Of Andy Hessenthaler, Mark Patterson, Darren Hare and Steve Lovell in temporary charge, And Peter Taylor was interim manager before Steve Lovell took over as caretaker manager before being permanently appointed as Gillingham Manager, As I mentioned above, The 2015 / 2016 Season is the only season where Gillingham have not sacked a manager, and if Steve Lovell see's out the rest of this season, then this season will be the second season in six where Gillingham do not make a managerial change, but what happens in the summer could well be a completely different story.

[Garawa]

I don't know what it is to be honest Gillsfan. We ALWAYS shoot towards the RE in the second half. It supposedly gives us a boost, after all we have scored 4 goals shooting towards the Town end but 19 goals towards the RE. If that does give us a boost then why not do it in the first half so that we go ahead for once and the opposition has to change the game for once. Even the Bradford 4-0 win saw all the goals in the second half. We cannot keep relying on getting the goals we need after half time.