Neil Austin and Antony Kay cost Barnsley the game today as The Reds finished the match with just NINE men.
Austin went after just 18 minutes. The young left back tussled with Rovers' James Coppinger ( who also was the man involved in Kay's dismissal). The ball eventually went out of play for a Barnsley throw and Coppinger seemed to kick out at Austin. The reaction was abysmal. Austin threw out his hands, whether it was a punch or a shove I'm not too sure but Coppinger went flying over the advertising wall and Austin was on his way.
The Reds were 1-0 down by this stage. Failure to clear a ball left Paul Green unmarked on the edge of the area and he fired the ball past Colgan. That was after 13 minutes, Austin's moment of madness 5 minutes later, more or less gave Doncaster the initiative.
Barnsley did have chances to get themselves level particularly around half time. On 37 minutes, a quickly taken free kick from Jacob Burns, saw Barry Conlon connect magnificently with his head but Rovers midweek hero, keeper Jan Budtz superbly tipped it over the bar.
An even better chance arrived after 42 minutes. Chris Shuker's trickery saw him deliver a perfect cross, which was met again by Conlon but Budtz fumbled it over the bar.
Half time arrived with referee Uriah Rennie booed off the pitch, understandable due to some of his decisions but he got the sending off spot on.
The second half saw the ten men come roaring out of the blocks. Kay dropped back to left back to cover Austin's departure and The Reds missed some decent chances. Keeper Budtz started to flap at a few crosses but Rovers always seemed to have men back to clear.
The game effectively ended as a contest when Kay joined Austin down the tunnel after 72 minutes.
A few minutes earlier Coppinger and Kay had tussled as Kay shepherded the ball out for a goal kick and heads collided. Kay obviously hadn't forgotten and flung himself into Coppinger's knee right on the by-line. Rennie immediately flourished the red card and Kay marched off without any complaints.
The Reds were now playing against the inevitable tide and they finally conceded a second with 7 minutes remaining.
Former Tyke Dave Mulligan who had earlier hit a few lets say off target efforts made no mistake with a beautiful volley past Colgan.
This result inflicted Barnsley with their first home defeat since February 19th. Who knows how different the outcome might have been if The Reds had kept 11 men on the pitch ( or at least 10) The Reds have now had 4 players sent off this season and Doncaster have beaten us for the 3rd consecutive game.
Main concerns to take out of this game ( apart from the lack of discipline of course) is the continued insistence of playing Martin Devaney on the left wing. This kid has got as much of a left foot as a snake and today continuously played the ball too far in front of himself or ran into blind alleys.
Secondly Barry Conlon. Big Baz has an incredible ability at holding the ball up but spends 90 minutes waving his arms around looking for free kicks. Your a big man Baz you should be knocking defenders out of the way. His timing of headers is also questionable. The amount of times he jumped far too early was somewhat frustrating. It should not be all doom and gloom however as we were always going to be beaten with 9 men, had 11 been on the field the result may have been somewhat different. Bristol City, Tuesday night is an ideal time to put the record straight.
Player Ratings:
Nick Colgan: Gets more confident with every game, came for and won a good amount of crosses which is very pleasing to see. No chance with goals. 7
Neil Austin: This lad really does need a rocket up his backside. You won't find anybody more committed or willing to give 100% than Aussie but he has a fatally short temper as proved today. Dismissal changed the game. Sent Off. 3
Paul Reid: Tried hard to hold the defence together as first Austin and then Kay went down the tunnel. Put in a captains display and couldn't be faulted. 7
Matt Carbon: No where near as good as the previous home game. looked a bit sluggish today. 6
Bobby Hassell: A shock starter for his first appearance this season. Was excellent though. rarely let anything go passed him. 7
Chris Shuker: Was at the hub of Barnsley's best moves and really tried to get things going. 7
Jacob Burns: Will always give 100% and that didn't change today. Tigerish in the tackle but unlike 2 of his team mates knew how to keep his head. 8
Antony Kay: Had played well until his dismissal. That effectively ended the game for The Reds and he can be thoroughly ashamed at that. Sent Off 5
Martin Devaney: Very ineffective. Why he is continuously played on the left wing I'll never know. Get Fit Soon Howard. Subbed 4
Paul Hayes: Tried his best as usual although was feeding off scraps again. Without McPhail long ball is the order of the day. Subbed 6
Barry Conlon: Same as Hayes. Tried his best and even resorted to coming into midfield to try to claim the ball. Needs to be a menace for defenders though and not go looking for free kicks at every opportunity. 6
Subs:
Daniel Nardiello ( for Hayes 64) had enough time to make an impact but the service wasn't much better for him. Players like Nardiello need the ball to feet he isn't one to go chasing after lost causes. 6
Marc Richards ( for Devaney 77) Yet to impress in a Reds shirt. Hardly got noticed during his time on the pitch. 5
Man of the Match: Jacob Burns
Coca Cola Football League One Results Saturday 24th September 2005
Barnsley 0-2 Doncaster
Blackpool 3-2 Milton Keynes Dons
Brentford 2-3 Bristol City
Chesterfield 3-1 Hartlepool
Colchester 1-1 Huddersfield
Oldham 1-0 Bournemouth
Rotherham 2-4 Southend
Scunthorpe 1-3 Walsall
Swansea 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Swindon 2-3 Bradford
Tranmere 2-2 Gillingham
Yeovil 1-0 Port Vale
Barnnsley lie 11th in Coca Cola League One with 14 points from 10 games. The Reds are 2 points off the play-offs and 6 points off the automatic promotion places.
Next Up:
On the Road: Ashton Gate Bristol City Tuesday 27th September 2005 Kick-Off 7:45pm
At Oakwell: Oldham Athletic Saturday 1st October 2005 Kick-Off 3pm
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