Gainsborough Trinity 3-3 Barnsley (U21s)

Gainsborough Trinity 3-3 Barnsley (U21s)

Pre-Season Friendly

Tuesday 23rd July 2024

Six goals, a hat-trick from Dec Howe and a last-gasp penalty by Josiah Dyer to snatch something to show for their efforts for Barnsley.

This was an entertaining pre-season affair under the floodlights at the Northolme as Gainsborough Trinity and Barnsley’s U21s played out a 3-3 draw.

The Reds came out of the traps flying; pressing high, playing at a good tempo and just getting at Gainsborough early on and after just three minutes they took the lead when Hayden Pickard was direct with his run and showed good feet on the edge of the box and laid a ball into the path of Isaac Brown who slammed the ball past Ollie Battersby.

Battersby stopped Barnsley from going 2-0 up as he made a save within a minute of that opener but after a solid first 20-25 minutes by the visitors - and Gainsborough losing Edwin Essel to injury, the hosts eventually got a foothold, got on top and started to create some problems down at the other end with Dec Howe forcing a save from Kieran Flavell after dispossessing (I think) Bayley McCann and Flavell was forced into a few other saves to ensure the Reds were still 1-0 up at the interval.

Connor BARRATT (not to be confused with Conner BARRETT who also plays football and was at AFC Fylde last year) replaced Nathan James as a half-time substitute for Barnsley and just before Gainsborough made six changes themselves on the hour mark, they found an equaliser. Kieran Flavell was sold short with a sloppy back-pass and Dec Howe, like every good striker, nipped in to pounce and take the ball around Flavell and make it 1-1.

With so many new faces on the pitch for Gainsborough - and with Barnsley possibly reeling from having conceded, the hosts (in pink shirts) upped the ante and soon turned things around completely.

The second goal was pretty similar to the first. This time a ball over the top went into the gap between the Barnsley defenders and ‘keeper. Dec Howe (always playing off the shoulder spotted the potential opportunity) and with Kieran Flavell coming off his line and outside his box, he lost the footrace with Dec who took it round him and slotted home from a similarly tight angle.

And Gainsborough then very quickly made it 3-1 with Dec Howe completing his hat-trick after someone (can’t remember who) was afforded time on the ball to drive at the Barnsley defence and slot a ball through to Howe who was in yards of space inside the box and made absolutely no mistake with the finish.

At 3-1, it looked as if Russ Wilcox’s team might have wrapped things up but Barnsley had other ideas.

Around 10 minutes from full-time, they pulled one back when Charlie Hickingbottom was in the right place at the right time inside the Gainsborough box to convert on the back of a tidy free-kick routine in which Barnsley played the ball from left to right and kept it on the ground with Harrison Nejman involved somewhere in the move.

Then, with the very last-kick of the game, they equalised. Dylan Cogill was judged to have fouled Josiah Dyer inside the box (even though it looked the opposite to begin with and as if Dyer had fouled Cogill first instead) but Barnsley’s big 6ft5 centre-forward stepped up and slammed the ball home to make it 3-3 with the final whistle sounding two seconds later.

In a league game, Gainsborough will probably have been furious that the referee awarded that spot-kick and although both teams will be pleased with their finishing - nobody more so than Dec Howe (albeit I doubt he’ll be taking home a matchball with it only being a pre-season game), both teams will also no doubt harbour some frustrations about the defending for the goals they conceded too. It was one of those nights.

Individually, quite a few players made good impressions for Barnsley. 

Josiah Dyer was a handful, used his frame well, even showed good technique early in the first half to bring the ball down and turn his man (surprised me in a really positive way), and his presence on the pitch contributed directly to the late, late equaliser. Exactly what you want in a target man and exactly how he can get you something from a game when you need it most.

Theo Chapman was sharp and lively at times when it came to running at his man. Harrison Nejman picked up lots of bits and pieces in midfield, was decent - one of his better games where he affected the play. Hayden Pickard made some good contributions, was very good in the first half, and is continuing to grow on me after a solid 2023/24 season. He got a good assist with the early run, took up some good positions on the left - including where he lashed a shot wide in the second half, and he’s looking more aggressive than previously, physically filling out well too, and is demonstrating some good traits within his game.

At the other end, Nathan James (in the middle of a back three - dropping in and wearing the No.4 shirt) had a good 45 minutes for Barnsley where he won lots in the air and was dominant, whilst Charlie Hickingbottom (on the right of a back three) showed all his usual qualities, got a goal and his best contribution was smashing a ball out the ground when under pressure in the first half - thus stopping Gainsborough from having a quick-throw. Intelligent. Stifling the game which was needed in that moment (buying a few seconds to recover shape) and from watching him 5-10 times over the past season and in this game too, he’s got all the characteristics to make a good defender; solid, strong, application and attitude that can’t be faulted. He talks sensibly and communicates rather than losing his head (very noticeable) and now a second-year pro, it’ll be interesting to see how he performs once he inevitably steps into men’s football and goes out on loan at some point.

Kieran Flavell, between the posts, for Barnsley was alright again too. Clean kicking, good handling from crosses, at 6ft5 he properly fills the goal - he lost the foot-race for the second goal when Dec Howe was chasing the ball and he’ll be gutted about that one, but it was another competent and decent performance by Flavell where he made saves to keep the Reds in the game at times, and it backed up a strong finish to last season where he was impressive - especially in this game against Burnley’s U21s. Definitely a good ‘keeper, left-footed as well, and one of the better ones out there in the young ‘keeper category.

And amongst the substitutes, Callum West (who I think was at Burnley last season) looked decent down the left-hand side; quick, sharp, posed a few problems and generally quite lively. I’m looking forward to watching him again at some point because as first impressions go, he wasn’t bad and offered flashes and bits of skill and some good traits.

So overall, a decent night… and very interesting that the sprinkler in the corner of the ground was suddenly activated midway through the second half. 

If only someone had been taking a corner at the time!