Two fantastic save and a truly bizarre decision from a really poor referee denied The Reds the three points that they deserved.
Don't get me wrong this wasn't vintage Barnsley as at sides they huffed and puffed against a Bournemouth side that came to Oakwell looking for a point and were delighted to achieve that aim in the first 0-0 at Oakwell this season.
One criticism I must level at the players though is the reluctance to push forward when Bournemouth insisted in merely playing the ball across their defence.
A superb string of Martin Devaney crosses were also wastefully not taken advantage of but Marc Richards had two great opportunities to give Barnsley the lead, both brilliantly stopped by Cherries keeper Gareth Stewart.
The first came after 32 minutes when Bournemouth failed to properly clear another terrific Devaney cross and Richards struck it perfectly from the edge of the area, but Stewart somehow got across to smother the shot.
If that was good the 2nd save was even better 8 minutes later.
Chris Shuker (who was again shocking) produced his one moment of magic to race to the by-line in the area before pulling the ball for a simple tap-in for Richards. Half the ground had started to cheer until Stewart produced a breath-taking parry to keep it out.
Then the game's truly controversial moment arrived around the hour mark.
Richards brushed away his marker to release Brian Howard in the area and he finished into the far corner, but amazingly referee Scott Mathieson, who should really have been wearing a Bournemouth shirt awarded the Cherries a free-kick for absolutely NOTHING.
That really changed the game for The Reds and from then on the players got more and more desperate and kept aiming long balls forward, which Richards and the surprisingly subdued Paul Hayes never looked like winning.
As the game ticked towards the final whistle and The Cherries hopes of grabbing a point increased after 4 successive away defeats, so there players time-wasting tactics increased, to keep in tune with his woeful performance though Mathieson indicated just THREE minutes stoppage time.
In which Bournemouth striker James Hayter nearly gave Bournemouth what would have been a totally underserved three points as he cut inside but from a tight angle his effort rebounded off Colgan's legs and out for a corner.
This game will most probably be looked on as 2 points dropped especially at home but the fact the Reds have STILL within 3 points of 2nd going into next weekend's massive local derby with the team that occupy that spot, Huddersfield, means that everything is still to play for. Oldham have now closed the gap to just goal-difference but the players MUST continue to look forwards rather than behind, none of 2nd-6th won today and as we reach what Sir Alex Ferguson calls “squeaky bum time” everything bar top spot is left to play for, Southend are virtually up but no other place is secure.
One thing that has to change is Chris Shuker's place in the team, a deserved winner of the Player of the Year award last term, but his form is getting worse and today a lot of attacks broke down because of him, to such an extent as where it appeared his team-mates were looking for harder options because they didn't feel confident in passing to him. Antony McParland has certainly warranted his chance and with Bobby Hassell on his way back things are looking up if we can just get out of this bad run of form.
Luck more than anything deserted us today, a win at Huddersfield next weekend and everything will look extremely rosy!.
COME ON YOU REDS!!!
Player Ratings:
Nick Colgan: Virtual spectator until he kept out Hayter's effort late on. 6
Paul Heckingbottom: Looked assured and got forward to support Devaney frequently. 7
Paul Reid: Had a real tussle to beat, in my opinion, the best target man in the league Steve Fletcher, but stuck to his task well. 7
Antony Kay: Defensively he was sound, but his insistence of constantly hoofing the ball forward is increasingly frustrating. A no-nonsense type of player but he does possess enough skill to keep the ball on the floor if he wanted to. 7
Neil Austin: Solid as ever, didn't get forward much but didn't let anything beat him down his flank. 7
Chris Shuker: Seriously becoming a joke. Ironic cheers even came from the crowd when he was withdrawn. He is still a crowd favourite but unless he is dropped or finds his form soon, that could change. 4
Stephen McPhail: Best player on the park. Always seemed to have his mind one step ahead. His decisions and range of passing was exemplary. 8
Brian Howard. The unluckiest man in the ground to have his perfectly good goal disallowed. Him and McPhail are a top notch partnership. 8
Martin Devaney: Either anonymous or mesmerising. It was mesmerising today. His low crosses were superb and really should have been taken advantage of and he was a constant thorn in Bournemouth's side. 8
Marc Richards: Only denied two goals thanks to some wonderful goal-keeping but was reluctant to chase balls ( something that could be thrown at every player). Seem to cruise through the game. 7
Paul Hayes: Incredibly subdued today, I'm wondering if his stint on the bench has damaged his confidence. Never got going. 5
Substitutes:
Daniel Nardiello ( for Hayes 66) Expectation grew with his arrival after his virtuoso performance in the last home game, but apart from one free-kick he hardly threatened. 6
Antony McFarland ( for Shuker 77) Whilst not extremely influential this was a change that should have been made 77 minutes before hand, deserves a start now. 6
Sponsors Man of the Match: Stephen McPhail
Barnsley Boy's Man of the Match: For the first time in 3 home games I wont disagree with the sponsors. Top display, too good for this league.
Coca Cola League One Results Saturday 25th March 2006
Barnsley 0-0 Bournemouth
Brentford 0-1 Doncaster
Gillingham 1-0 Swansea
Nottingham Forest 3-0 Milton Keynes Dons
Oldham 3-1 Blackpool
Port Vale 1-1 Huddersfield
Rotherham 3-1 Bristol City
Scunthorpe 0-0 Colchester
Southend 3-0 Hartlepool
Swindon 2-0 Chesterfield
Walsall 2-2 Bradford
Yeovil 2-2 Tranmere
Barnsley lie in 6th place in League One with 62 points from 39 games. We are in the Play-Offs on Goal Difference, 3 point off the Automatic Promotion Places and 19 points above the Relegation Zone
Next Up:
On The Road: Huddersfield v Barnsley Saturday 1st April 2006 Kick-Off 3pm
Tickets:
Adults: £18
Over 60's: £9
Under 16‘s: £6
Please Note: This is an ALL TICKET game and NO tickets will be available at the Galpharm Stadium on the day of the game.
Official Reds On The Road Coaches will be making the trip to the Galpharm Stadium
Tickets: £8. The coach leaves Oakwell at 12:45pm on the day of the game.
At Oakwell: Barnsley v Chesterfield Saturday 8th April 2006 Kick-Off 3pm
This match is a Category A match.
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