FOOTBALL: No assets for Bassett; GILLINGHAM 0 BARNSLEY 0

BARNSLEY boss Dave Bassett remained upbeat despite missing out on a first League win away.

"We have drawn our last three away games so perhaps we are due a win shortly," he said.

Barnsley's Bruce Dyer dragged an early chance wide and then defender Matty Appleby had the ball in the net only for it to be ruled offside.

Barnsley's best spell in the game came when they forced three quick corners. From the third the ball came back off the Gillingham bar.

It looked as though Adie Moses had hit the woodwork, but Bassett was happy to credit Neil Shipperley with the chance.

Shipperley and Dyer were well held all afternoon by Gillingham's impressive central defenders.

It was FIFA fair play day and it was disappointing that the match lacked so much, but both teams kept battling away.

Moses was booked for a first-half challenge on Carl Asaba, but keeper Kevin Miller was not really troubled.

However, it was a different story in the second half when substitute Iffy Onuora replaced Asaba, left in the dressing room with a hamstring injury.

Dyer sent yet another header off target, while Onuora almost got in on the end of Andy Thomson's pass. Onoura had grabbed Gillingham a point with a late equaliser against Bolton in the last home game.

However Gillingham's best chance came when Mark Saunders saw his effort deflected onto a post, via a deflection, with the ball bouncing into the hands of Miller.

In the end though Bassett was left waiting for his first ever win at Priestfield as either player or manager. He was once on the end of a 6-1 drubbing in Wimbledon's early days in the football league.STAR MAN: Chris Hope.

Another confident performance at the heart of the home defencer.

GILLINGHAM: Bartram 6, Patterson 7, Smith 7, Ashby 6, Southall 6 (Gooden 6), Hessenthaler 7, Asaba 6, (Onuora 6), Saunders 7, Pennock 7, HOPE 8, Thomson 6 (Shaw) 6.

BARNSLEY: Miller 6, Moses 8, Morgan 7, O'Callaghan 6, Barker 6, Appleby 7, Van Der Laan 6, McClare 6, Barnard 6, Shipperley 6, Dyer 6.

MANAGER RATINGS: Hessenthaler 7; Bassett 7.

REFEREE: K Hill 6.

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