BARNSLEY boss Paul Heckingbottom feared Dwight Gayle would be the decisive factor in Tuesday’s game at Oakwell – because he suffered at the hands of the Newcastle United striker as a player.

Back in 2011, Heckingbottom was playing out the final days of his career with Harrogate Town in the National League North, and found himself lining up against a Bishop’s Stortford side featuring a 21-year-old Gayle, who was on loan from Peterborough United.

Gayle finished his season in the sixth tier with 29 goals from 42 games, with two of his successes coming against Heckingbottom’s Harrogate.

The Barnsley boss warned his players of Gayle’s predatory qualities before Tuesday’s encounter, and was frustrated to see the striker profit from two defensive errors to fire Newcastle to the top of the table.

“I remember playing against Dwight when he was at Bishop’s Stortford, and he was a hard player to contain,” said Heckingbottom, a former Sunderland trainee whose playing career also featured spells at Hartlepool, Darlington and Gateshead. “I can’t remember whether I played centre-half or left-back against him, but I can remember he was quiet for most of that game and still ended up scoring two goals too.

“He was good (on Tuesday), but that’s what you pay for isn’t it? His goals. We were prepared for that, so from our point of view, it’s disappointing that two lapses of concentration cost us the game. That was the difference.

“They gave us absolutely nothing during the game, even though we worked our socks off. We went toe-to-toe with them, even though they’re at the top of the league, and we were grafting and working for everything we could. But they gave us nothing. They were having to graft and work as hard as us to get anything, but the two goals were lapses in concentration on our part.”

Prior to Gayle’s opener at the start of the second half, there was nothing to choose between the two sides at Oakwell, with Newcastle failing to test Barnsley goalkeeper Adam Davies during the whole of the first half.

The Magpies had to dig in as they attempted to gain the upper hand, and with Yoan Gouffran and Matt Ritchie working tirelessly in the wide positions, Isaac Hayden providing some midfield ballast alongside Jonjo Shelvey, and Ciaran Clark combining with Jamaal Lascelles to keep things tight at the back, Rafael Benitez’s side never looked like conceding.

Gayle’s precise finishing at the other end ensured they claimed all three points, and while some relegated teams struggle to adapt to the frenetic nature of the Championship, Heckingbottom has applauded the attitude of Newcastle’s players following their relegation in May.

“I’ve been impressed with the way in which this Newcastle team has proved it’s prepared to dig in and work in order to get a result,” he said. “It was a similar story at Rotherham, although I watched that game and with respect to Rotherham, I thought we had a right go at them even more than they did.

“They gave us nothing. They matched our effort and endeavour, and ultimately they’ll be over the moon with their result. We’re disappointed with the goals we conceded because we would have loved to have given them nothing, like they gave us nothing.”