Second again!

So, still unbeaten at home, second in the league (eight points clear of those fools at Hillsborough) and dirty L**ds having their worst spell in years. It’s good to be a Barnsley fan at the moment.

Having sold the goalscoring phenomenon that is Rory Fallon for the gob-smacking fee of £60,000 (presumably Swindon’s chief scout is Stevie Wonder), on-loan striker Jon Walters made his Oakwell debut against Tranmere, partnering Rankin up front.

Walters had an early chance when Jacob Burns chipped a ball over the Tranmere defence, but the striker’s touch let him down (in an Andy Rammell kind of way) and Achterberg in the opposition goal was able to gather the ball.

Tranmere then had a good spell, which saw them create two clear cut opportunities. Fortunately for the Reds, both chances fell to Simon Howarth who, on this evidence at least, should be taking kids for a ride on Blackpool beach. After Howarth had twice headed the ball wide from good positions, salt was rubbed into the Tranmere wound when Barnsley took the lead after 23 minutes.

Following some excellent wing play, Kevin Betsy slid a low cross across the Rovers goal, and Rankin got in front of his marker to slot the ball home. The one player to have benefitted the most from Gudjon Thordason's time at the club has been Isaiah Rankin. Signed by Nigel Spackman, Rankin has spent his two seasons at Oakwell playing reserve team football, warming the first team bench and, judging by the way he fills his shirt, eating a lot of pies. As such, he had been written off by many Barnsley fans, myself included. Thordason, however, has given Rankin a prolonged run in the team, for the first time in his Barnsley career. The result? The Tranmere goal was Rankin’s sixth in eight games.

Both sides had a couple of half-chances before the interval, but the game remained at one-nil until Dean Gorre doubled the lead from the penalty spot on 64 minutes. The penalty – won when Rankin’s persistence forced Loran to trip him in the area – followed a fifteen minute spell of Barnsley pressure. Gorre, starved of the ball in the opening period, was orchestrating the majority of attacks and the Reds looked a far better team because of it. The Dutchman twice went close, first when Achterberg tipped his curling shot wide, and then when Gorre’s header fell wide of the far post. Gorre finally claimed his sixth goal of the season when, following a slightly alarming two step run up, he slammed the penalty home.

At 2-0, the game as a competition was pretty much over, although Tranmere substitute Eugene Dadi was a constant threat. Why he was sat on the bench when Howarth started is beyond me. Dadi looked to have grabbed a consolation in the dying moments but Gallimore was able to clear the ball off the line. At the other end, Barnsley had two decent claims for penalties turned down, but the referee clearly felt it would be illegal to award a team two penalties in the same game, so both appeals were waved away.

All in all, this was a comfortable three points, although a better team (with a better striker) would have punished Barnsley in the opening stages. Plus points for the Reds were the performances of Rankin, Gorre, Walters and Ireland. Aside from his goal, Rankin’s work rate made him a worthy man of the match recipient: he constantly hassled the Tranmere back four, and it was this attitude that won him the all important penalty.

Gorre again proved that he is a class act who, given the right service, can break down most second division defences on his own. Walters, while never really looking like scoring, showed some classy touches and, above all, deserves praise for not being Rory Fallon. Ireland coped well at the back without the calming presence of Handyside and, as usual, he won the majority of balls in the air.

I'm being picky now, but I would like to see Lumsdon back in the side. Central midfield is still the team's weakest area in my opinion: after so many injuries, Hayward has lost his pace, and is developing a disturbing tendency to pass the ball sideways every time he has possession, a la Ray "the crab" Wilkins. Alongside him Jacob Burns covers a lot of ground, but I still question just how effective he is. Still, this is a minor point: lets just enjoy being second in the league as we approach the season's half-way point.