Gillingham 3 Barrow 0: League 2 match report from Priestfield Stadium - Josh Andrews scores on his first start but Josh Walker is stretchered off

Gillingham’s play-off dream was kept alive on Saturday thanks to a home win over Barrow.

Josh Andrews fired the Gills ahead in first-half stoppage time, against a Barrow side reduced to ten men after George Ray’s horrible-looking challenge on Josh Walker, which led to the player being stretchered off.

Gillingham extended their lead in the second half with a 55th-minute own-goal and Connor Mahoney made it three.

Gillingham’s play-off hopes had looked all but over before Saturday’s game but their head coach wasn’t giving up while there was a mathematical chance.

Victory leaves the Gills two points off the play-off places with two games remaining after seventh-placed Crawley - who still have a game in hand - lost at home to relegation-threatened Colchester.

Stephen Clemence reverted back to 4-2-3-1 for the match against a Barrow side starting the day sixth in the table. Leading the attack and making his first start for the Gills was Josh Andrews.

Pre-match plans were soon out of the window as George Lapslie limped off on 21 minutes and within 30 seconds of Walker’s introduction, he was left in a heap following Ray’s high challenge.

Ray got a straight red card and after a lengthy stoppage, Walker was stretchered off, to be replaced by Oli Hawkins.

Early chances had been at a minimum, Jonny William going closest for Gills with a shot that deflected wide after he slipped a challenge to fire in from an angle.

The Gills didn’t find it easy against a Barrow side down to 10 men but with three of nine added-on minutes played they got the breakthrough.

Remeao Hutton - a former Barrow player - fed Andrews with a ball forward that split the defence, the Gills striker kept onside and took a couple of touches to get past keeper Paul