Luke Rooney is brought down during Gillingham's 3-1 defeat to Barnet Picture: Barry Goodwin

by Luke Cawdell

Gillingham failed to take advantage of their first half dominance and paid the price in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy second round match.

The Gills were ahead inside five minutes through Garry Richards but Barnet hit back with a goal in each half to take the lead.

Barnet had the chance to add a third from the penalty spot but Izale McLeod blasted over – only to score from open play to seal the win moments later.

Gillingham had dominated the opening half but went into the break with the scores level at 1-1.

Richards had put the home side ahead with just five minutes on the clock when he got on the end of Luke Rooney’s cross, from a free-kick, and guided the ball home.

The lead lasted just six minutes when Izale McLeod scored from the spot. Referee Graham Scott appeared to have penalised Andy Frampton for a tug on the shirt of Barnet’s Clovis Kamdjo.

Argentine keeper Paulo Gazzaniga was unable to stop the penalty on his home debut as McLeod rifled home into the roof of the net. It was his sixth goal against the Gills in the last three games between the sides.

From then until the break, apart from brief Barnet forays forward, the game was dominated by the Gills’ attack.

Jo Kuffour was making his home debut and first start alongside Stefan Payne in attack. It was only Payne’s second start of his Gills career and first this season.

Frank Nouble and Luke Rooney were supplying the ammunition from the wings and all of the forwards came close to scoring.

Rooney was a constant menace to the Barnet defence and the visitors, and their 49 fans, were grateful to keeper Liam O’Brien for denying the livewire winger from netting in the opening 45 minutes.

Nouble was also threatening on the right flank but despite the shot count moving into double figures by half-time the score remained 1-1.

Kuffour had seen a shot blocked, Rooney shot one straight at the keeper and had another knocked wide, while Payne had a header saved and the follow-up blocked. Weston struck a couple wide and Nouble was unable to beat the keeper.

There were less clear-cut chances at the start of the second half with Payne seeing a glancing header fall to O’Brien and at the other end Sam Deering blasted an effort into the empty Town End.

Just past the hour mark right-back Matt Fish fired wide for the Gills from around 40 yards and moments later Payne flashed a long range effort over the bar.

Gillingham had made an enforced substitution when Fish went off injured and within a minute Mark Marshall, who had been kept quiet all night, burst into the area and drove a low shot across Gazzaniga and into the net on 72 minutes.

Barnet could have put the game beyond the Gills as Gazzaniga pulled McLeod down in the box, after the striker was clear on goal after a mistake at the back by Richards. This time the striker blasted his penalty well over the bar.

Mistakes were creeping in for the Gills and McLeod made amends with six minutes left as an exquisite ball from Deering found McLeod and he tapped home to make it 3-1.

Gills: Gazzaniga, Fish (Whelpdale 71mins), Jackman, Frampton (Davies 78mins), Richards, Montrose, Weston, Rooney, S Payne, Nouble, Kuffour (Kedwell 83mins). Subs not used: Flitney, Oli.

Barnet: O’Brien, Kamdjo, Uddin, Leach, Borrowdale, Byrne, Hughes, Marshall, Deering (Vilhete 89mins), Taylor (Owusu 86mins), McLeod (Kabba 85mins). Subs not used: Brill, Cox.

Attendance: 1,278

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