Ince equaliser ruins Tykes' big day
Thomas Ince gatecrashed Barnsley's 125th anniversary celebrations with an equaliser as Blackpool claimed a 1-1 draw at Oakwell.
Craig Davies put the home team ahead with a long-range effort early in the first half, but Ince continued his strong start to the season by netting for Blackpool after half an hour.
Both sides pushed for victory, but neither was able to break the second-half deadlock and the Seasiders claimed a point which sees them remain second in the npower Championship.
The game had been preceded by a series of performances to mark the Tykes' milestone, but the home team were unable to produce the desired three points to celebrate their momentous occasion.
Barnsley made a strong start to the match and Chris Dagnall forced Blackpool goalkeeper Matt Gilks into an early save before play was pulled back for an offside ruling against Craig Davies.
Blackpool were soon into their stride with Ince and Matt Phillips taking the game to the Barnsley defence, but it was Alex Baptiste who forced Ben Alnwick to parry a 25-yard strike over the crossbar after 12 minutes.
The home team broke the deadlock just a minute later thanks to a 20-yard drive from Davies which sailed into the bottom left corner of Gilks' goal after receiving the ball from Jacob Mellis.
Blackpool enjoyed an overwhelming share of possession for much of the first half and, on the half-hour mark, the pressure told as Ince broke free of the Barnsley defence to slot home a left-footed effort from inside the penalty area after a pass from Gary Taylor-Fletcher.
The goal - Ince's fifth of the season - means the highly-rated midfielder is averaging one goal per match for the season so far.
The away team continued to push for the lead after their equaliser, but the two teams went in all square at half-time after Angel Martinez had a headed goal ruled out for offside on 45 minutes.
Gilks was called into action early in the second half as Barnsley goalscorer Davies unleashed a fierce 20-yard strike to force the Blackpool goalkeeper into a fine save.
Ince became the first man to have his name written in referee Andy Woolmer's book after 55 minutes when he was booked following a foul on Scott Golbourne.
Keith Hill's men dominated possession for large parts of the second half, and the Barnsley manager brought on Marlon Harewood and Matty Done as he pushed for a winner.
However, the home team had a lucky escape in the 75th minute as Tiago Gomes had an effort cleared off the line by Golbourne.
Baptiste tried his luck from 25 yards for Blackpool in the last minute of the match, but Alnwick was equal to the effort and produced a superb save to ensure his side emerged from the match with one point to show for their efforts.
Source: PA
Source: PA