Sheffield Wednesday vs Gillingham: Steve Evans doesn't care what Owls fans think of his tactics

Gillingham took a point away from Hillsborough on Saturday with a performance that has Steve Evans’ fingerprints all over it.
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With Sheffield Wednesday dominant, the visitors nicked a goal midway through the first half and from then on the ‘game management’ kicked in, which is a polite way of describing time-wasting.

Owls boss Darren Moore says he and his staff clocked 70 seconds and 109 seconds as examples of period when the ball wasn’t in play as Gillingham labored over every set-piece and took every available opportunity to slow down the game.

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Steve Evans admitted his Gillingham team had a gameplan and would expect Sheffield Wednesday to do the same. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)Steve Evans admitted his Gillingham team had a gameplan and would expect Sheffield Wednesday to do the same. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
Steve Evans admitted his Gillingham team had a gameplan and would expect Sheffield Wednesday to do the same. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
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Vadaine Oliver had opened the scoring in the 22nd minute for Gillingham and it took until late in the game for Wednesday to finally break the visitors’ resolve when Florian Kamberi tapped in from close range after Barry Bannan’s effort was parried out by Jamie Cumming.

Moore clearly wasn’t happy with the gamesmanship but Evans, as you would expect was unrepentant as he headed back down south with a valuable point.

Evans said: “I think if Sheffield Wednesday were away in League One, winning 1-0 and they are in control of the game then they are going to manage the game aren’t they?

“Darren [Moore] would manage his team to manage the game.

“If you are Sheffield Wednesday, it doesn’t matter who you play in League One, there is not a Sheffield Wednesday fan that I know who thinks they should be in League One, not one of them and from a distance and being a rival manager on a few occasions they shouldn’t be.

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"It is a magnificent football club, absolutely magnificent supporters, and it must be an absolute privilege as a player or manager to represent them, that is the plus side, but it is my job as a manager, whether that is Rotherham, Leeds or Gillingham to come up with a plan to stop what they are trying to do and I think we did that.

“If we stayed at full strength I think we would have beaten Sheffield Wednesday. We lost big, big payers and while they are bringing Berahino on we are bringing kids on. From that point of view it is tough.”