MK Dons (H) - League 2 - 12th February 2025
Barrow is a long way from the North shore of the Rio Del Plata and Montevideo Bay. But perhaps Marcelo Bielsa, the ultimate football obsessive, turned his eyes to our Morecambe variety and the more basic fare of League Two football.
Well perhaps not; certainly a thousand or so less opted for the living room comfort of the Champions League and a few saved pennies, rather than Holker Street on a February Tuesday night.
Currently the manager of Uruguay and seven hundred and sixty one games into a managerial career that has taken him around the world, the Argentinian manager and coaching icon once said this of Robbie Gotts.
“I have never seen a player play with such a dynamic. He’s a player with skills.”
However, football is a cruel mistress; and despite feeling that Robbie ‘got less than he deserved’ like many young players, he didn’t force his way into the regular starting eleven at Elland Road.
Again, like many, he left to ply his trade ‘lower down’.
So here we were. The still reviled franchise had rolled into town and a decent MK Dons side, known for passing football had arrived.
Could we win back-to-back games for the first time since September?
Little change, with an unlucky Campbell making way for Cameron, with Williams stepping back into the fulcrum of midfield. Sam Foley who purred like a Rolls Royce on Saturday, retained in the back three.
It was apparent from the first minute that this was no out of sorts Gillingham but a decent side who wanted to be effective in possession, a little Evatt like in the way they toyed inside and out of the centre circle, teasing us like a cat with a ball.
Eight minutes in they shot out a paw and a clever but defendable ball caught Sam Foley a little on his heels, through went Hogan to finish with aplomb.
But for all their possession and guile, we posed a defensive but aggressive threat and were willing to pounce ourselves.
Andy Whing was in full Viking mode, bellowing a Brummie version of Old Norse as we fought out of possession, won the ball back and a corner. Out to the reborn Kian Spence it came and our own Resurrection Man drilled it into the net for 1-1.
All that after 10 minutes.
Then, in League 2 terms, something of a magician took hold of the game. Dan Crowley, the only player who has Arsenal, Go Ahead Eagles and Morecambe on his CV was all clever angles and raking passes, threatening to unlock us once again.
But we had moments too. Aaron Pressley unselfish, Ben Whitfield threatening, resolute aggressive pressing. Andy Whing and Jason Taylor both bellowing from the technical area, coaching the likes of Ben Jackson into what was required. One linesman decision left the official quailing as both turned their fire on to him.
Game on, fascinating as Gotts and Whitfield wrested possession and Kian Spence rippled the side netting. Back up the pitch we went and Foley was booked as the visitors probed again.
‘Get rid of the fucking ball!’ Jason Taylor exhorted the under pressure defence as the interval approached.
Bluey cavorted as Bailey Parrington got funky with ‘Very Superstitious’. We had been very game but it was hard to tell if we could do enough, especially given the points we’ve left on the pitch recently.
Enter the Dragon. All five foot six of him. We will never know what exactly Andy Whing did say to Robbie Gotts at half time but it certainly seemed to work. If Crowley had cast a first half spell, our Robbie was the antidote.
Our pace and tenacity were troubling them now, their patient skill becoming overpowered. The GAFFER saw it first; roaring 'WOIDE! WOIDE' as the ball was recycled to Ben Whitfield. An arrow like low ball and there was a much improved Cameron to tap in.
Gottsy was everywhere now but it wasn’t just him, it was all of them. Ben Whitfield’s pressing aggression as he harried a centre half twice his size on the Popular Side got a visceral growl of approval as the crowd warmed up.
They were still dangerous as Farms made a decent save and as well as heart and desire there was real concentration and organisation. Sam Foley even had time to exercise his inner Ronaldinho as he slalomed up the pitch to universal delight. Gotts by this time had elevated to new heights of intensity and was controlling matters by force of will.
Blows and styles continued to be traded till the end but we managed the game out and celebrated together. I’m not sure about Andy’s Whing’s overall desire for fist pumping but it was certainly a blood pumping performance, for me our best home league win of the season.
In this up and down campaign from the highs of autumn to the depths of winter perhaps Robbie’s old Leeds manager was on to something:
“Success is distorting, relaxing, deceiving; it makes us worse, it helps us fall excessively in love with ourselves; failure is the opposite, it is formative, it makes us solid, it brings us closer to convictions, it makes us coherent.”
Andy Whing may be more Small Heath than Rosario but his simplified style has brought coherence and conviction. None more so than in Robbie Gotts, who gave his best performance of his Barrow career so far in last night’s reminder that there are many ways to play the Beautiful Game.
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