What a difference a year makes. 14 months after we were beaten heavily at Oakwell, which was by far the worst performance I've witnessed since our return to the second tier, we returned to Barnsley, erased that horrendous memory and with 3 games of this pulsating season remaining, we moved into the automatic promotion spots for the first time. Barnsley scored a late consolation to ruin the symmetry of a 3-0 win avenging last year's reverse.
City settled quickly. Barnsley almost scoring an O.G. in the first minute helped. We looked more confident than Saturday. The changes, Hughes, Fagan and Folan in for Pedersen, Garcia and Deano, suggested we wanted to attack them and we wanted to get the ball wide as much as possible. The first half was pretty even; both sides had spells of good possession and times when they tried to hit the ball forward too quickly. We had a really good shape when we didn't have the ball and rarely looked penetrable. I think lazy TV pundits would call it "two banks of four". When we lost the ball, we worked hard to regain the 4-4-2 shape in front of Barnsley. They had lots of possession, with Diego Leon dropping deep to pick up the ball but never managing to do anything with it. Macken curled a long shot wide and there was a bit of goal mouth scramble resulting in Turner blocking a shot that Myhill would've saved anyway. That was about their entire threat until we were three up and coasting. We looked much calmer in possession and more ambitious with the ball. When we gave the ball away, it was generally because we were trying to play a difficult pas and not just sloppiness like Saturday. The first goal was a bit route one. Turner played a back pass to Myhill, he launched it, Folan flicked it on and Campbell hared onto the ball, nicked it past the defender and crashed to the turf under the late, sliding challenge. I'm sure Dennis Souza would be quite happy if he never saw Campbell again. Fraizer rang rings around him in the game at the KC earlier in the season, beat him twice to score and then Souza brought him down for the penalty tonight. Dean Marney strode up, everyone who went to Leicester cringed and prayed, and Deano II calmly sent the 'keeper the wrong way. The goal seemed to knock Barnsley sideways, we relaxed and moved the ball well and the oppo's didn't threaten at all.
Half time was fun. Barnsley's music department consists solely of records they found in a Syd Scarborough bag under the West Stand before Boothferry Park was demolished last month. The bag had obviously been there since 1985.
We controlled the majority of the second half. The conditions were difficult following a heavy hail and rain shower that started just before half time and finished just after. The pitch was sodden but we coped best with it. We played great balls into the channels for Folan and Campbell to get onto and both proved well capable of holding the ball up and bringing other people into generally the other striker or the marauding Marney and Hughes. We mopped everything up easily in defence and Ash and Marney picked up the ball and launched attacks. They couldn't cope with the pace and we created a few half chances. Steele produced a good low save from Campbell and from the resulting corner, Ash bulleted a header into the top of the net. I thought we should have had a second penalty when Folan burst through the middle and was taken out by Foster, who ran across and barged him in the chest. Barnsley looked shattered and a third goal was always coming. Deano scored it with his first touch after replacing Folan. We eased towards the finish line, a bit too literally as we conceded a stupid goal in stoppage time. We played silly balls across the box once too often and missed a pair of tackles allowing them to cross the ball for Ferenczi to score. Unlike last year, his goal meant nothing. Myhill was understandably irate that we'd blown the clean sheet. I'm pretty sure that had the score line been closer, the ball would have ended up in Row Z but it was still poor play.
Myhill had a solid game, saving the few efforts he had to deal with. He seemed to drop one catch under no pressure but that aside, he took what he could easily and tried to distribute short whenever possible. He had too many back passes to deal with, including one from Dawson that was lobbed back towards him. He did well with all of them, safety first, and one made the first goal. Ricketts had a tricky opponent in Jamal Campbell-Ryce who gave him some trouble early on but then disappeared into the centre of midfield to try and create something. Campbell-Ryce is great on the ball, quick and skillful and capable of turning a full-back inside out but he never once produced a decent shot, cross or pass at the end of it. Sam had a comfortable second half and as the game went on, Fagan came off the line, allowing him to get into some good attacking positions. Daws was quiet again. His distribution was poor, by the standards he's set, and he dawdled on the ball high up the pitch. He did a good job of dealing with the high ball but looked less assured than he has recently. His combo with Hughes came on a bit as the game went on, they didn't quite click in the first half. Turner did well against Odejayi. It was one of the toughest tests he's had in the air this season, but he coped well. Odejayi was eventually subbed because we'd cut him out of the game. Turner was unlucky to concede a few free-kicks. Odejayi was constantly backing into him and then collapsing on top of him with Turner penalised. The rookie Ref had a good game aside from the Folan 'penalty' and his reading of the Turner-Odejayi tussles. Wayne Brown was much better than Saturday; a really brave performance. He stuck his head in where it hurt and he read the Barnsley attacks superbly. He was mediocre on the ball for the most part but his first job is stopping attacks and he and Turner did that brilliantly.
On Saturday, the centre of our midfield were a real disappointment, but not tonight. Ash was incredible, making blocks and tackles, cutting out passes and driving us forward. He deserved his goal. He gave the ball away at times, as did Marney, but as I said, it was in an attempt to make more difficult and dangerous passes. Marney defended well for the first 20 or so, getting into positions alongside Ash that made us difficult to break through. Once we'd scored, Marney had much more freedom to get forward and he did that well, picking up the loose balls between their defence and midfield and using the ball well. Hughes gave a typical bustling performance. He wasn't always perfect but he moved around the pitch, always accepted the ball and grew as the game went on. I don't mean any offence but I forgot Craig Fagan was playing until he went off.
Campbell and Folan hooked up nicely again. Folan had to start tonight; he's been excellent in every appearance off the bench. They caused problems with the pace, especially as the defenders tired and Folan held the ball up brilliantly. I'd love to see these two together next season, regardless of the division we end up in. The old man wouldn't be forgotten though. He had a great cameo, scoring and holding the ball up well, including the playing of the best pass of the night from left to right on the half volley. You couldn't ask for better options than these three guys.
Tonight was a really tricky game. Barnsley were high in confidence and capable of beating anyone but we were professional, stubborn and creative and our pace in key positions caused them no end of problems. We now go into the next 'biggest game in our history' at Sheffield United. We must get something because we're running out of games and we're hitting the serious 'must not lose' territory. Win three games and we're in the Premier League. Easy, eh?
Ratings: Myhill 7, Ricketts 7, Dawson 6, Turner 7, Brown 8, Ashbee 9, Marney 8, Fagan 6 (France), Hughes 7, Folan 7 (Windass), Campbell 7 (Walton).