An absolutely disgraceful performance from referee Brian Curson undermined what was a tremendous performance by the boys in red.
Ref Curson could well have been wearing a Brentford shirt as he gave the table-topping Bees practically everything.
His "performance" was compounded by denying Stephen McPhail a stonewall penalty and instead giving BRENTFORD A FREE-KICK, before proving his "allegiance" to the Bees by showing skipper Paul Reid a second yellow card for handball when the ball clearly struck him unawares whilst going for a challenge. This further amazed Barnsley fans when Isaiah
Rankin tried to PUNCH the ball in the net, the linesman flagged Curson didn't even award the Reds a free kick.
Make your own minds up from that. Curson did enough to put himself in the limelight so I won’t add to it further.
The first 45 minutes at Oakwell was by far the best Barnsley performance of the season (barring maybe Tuesday nights excellent cup victory)
There seemed to be some sort of invisible wall in front of the Bees goal as the ball just wouldn't go in.
Goal keeper Stuart Nelson tried his hardest to prove he was a worse catcher than Nick Colgan as he spilled crosses and shots on numerous occasions, unfortunately no Red player was able to get on the rebounds.
Martin Devaney who made his debut from the off showed some good touches but why he has been brought in as a " left-sided midfielder" I'll never know as his left foot is about as useful as McPhail's right peg.
Ritchie rectified this by placing Devaney on the right for the second half.
Due to the number of chances Barnsley were creating it was a surprise that a Brentford player gave us the lead after 24 minutes.
Paul Hayes, McPhail and Chris Shuker played havoc with the Bees defence and the end Hayes' drive across the area was turned in (excuse the pun) by Michael Turner.
1-0 Barnsley, let the floodgates open???
Not quite, Brentford kicked off ran straight down the other end and former Owl Lloyd Owusu headed past Colgan.
That would be the end of the scoring, but Barnsley had chances kicked off the line, shots blocked and everything imaginable as frustration kicked in.
The second 45 wasn't quite as free-flowing and exciting as the first 45 but still the Reds dominated, and most of the 7,462 fans went home wondering just how Brentford have surged to the top of League One in the opening weeks.
Like most sides they came to Oakwell with the plan of stifling the talents of McPhail and Shuker. First half they failed second half they succeeded.
Shuker was amazingly named Man of The Match over the tannoy but again he failed to get into the game, whilst Barry Conlon put in a shocking performance. Big Baz spent most of his time on the floor and alot of the Reds attacking moves broke down when the ball came to him.
Still there were many positives to take out of this game.
If we play like we did the first half for the majority of the season (and we get good referees!) then we will win far more than we will draw or lose.
The main point though is the defence. Often the Achilles heel for Barnsley over the years, this current crop looks reasonably solid. Indeed today was the first time the defence had been breached at Oakwell this season and Matt Carbon when fit is a colossus. Robbie Williams who was brought back into defence with the arrival of Devaney excelled and the stadium booed when he was substituted. He rightly received a standing ovation when he warmed down.
Tough trip to Wales on Monday but another 90 minutes like today and 3 points should be coming back to Oakwell.
Player Ratings:
Nick Colgan: Had very little to do but looked quite solid. Needs to communicate with his defence more though. 6
Robbie Williams: Dropped back into defence at left back and was outstanding gave 100% and never let the team down. Subbed. 8
Paul Reid: Very solid again and was disgracefully sent off, extremely harsh and undeserved. Sent Off. 8
Matt Carbon: Hopefully has put his injury problems behind him because he is a colossus when fit. Is a superb header of the ball and didn’t give Rankin or Owusu a sniff. 9
Neil Austin: As always committed and made some splendid interceptions. Booked. 7
Chris Shuker: I think we sold Shuker in the summer and brought in his twin. Has been anonymous in most games this season. Player of the Year curse struck Kay last season, looks like its hit Shuker this term. 5
Jacob Burns: Again drove the team forward and always wanted the ball. Another typical Burns display. 7
Stephen McPhail. Was at the heart of everything in the first half when the team played passing football. Was denied a stonewall penalty. Why anybody would think he'd dive when 6 yards and central from goal is anyone's guess. Faded slightly second half. 7
Martin Devaney: Impressive debut but certainly better suited to the right wing than left. Ran out of puff in the second half. Subbed. 7
Barry Conlon: Shocking display. Failed to get going and most moves broke down when they fell to him. Subbed. 4
Paul Hayes: Again bright and created some good chances. Needs support upfront though. 7
Subs:
Nathan Jarman (for Devaney 68) Came on as Devaney tired but left isolated as Barnsley seemed intent on playing down the left handside. Really ran at the tiring Bees defence when presented with the ball though. 7
Dale Tonge (for Williams 78) Surprise change but Tonge once again didn't disappoint. 6
Antony Kay (for Conlon 82) Ritchie decided to play Kay upfront and Jarman on the wing in a strange decision. Not his best position you understand. 6.
Man of the Match: Matt Carbon.
League One Results for Saturday 27th August 2005:
| Barnsley | 1 - 1 | Brentford | R |
| M Turner o.g. 24 | L Owusu 25 | ||
 | |||
| Bradford | 1 - 2 | Bournemouth | R |
| D Cadamarteri 45 | M Bower o.g. 55 A Surman 64 | ||
| |||
| Bristol City | 2 - 2 | Milton Keynes Dons | R |
| S Brooker 53 M Heywood 60 | C Platt 7 C Platt 17 | ||
| |||
| Chesterfield | 0 - 2 | Tranmere | R |
| M Jackson 76 G Roberts 90 | |||
| |||
| Colchester | 0 - 0 | Oldham | R |
| |||
| Gillingham | 1 - 3 | Nottm Forest | R |
| D Byfield 78 | D Johnson 8 S Dobie 44 S Weir-Daley 79 | ||
| |||
| Huddersfield | 2 - 1 | Hartlepool | R |
| P Abbott 13 D Schofield 18 | A Boyd 51 | ||
| |||
| Port Vale | 2 - 0 | Doncaster | R |
| N Lowndes 30 T Dinning 48 | |||
| |||
| Rotherham | 4 - 0 | Blackpool | R |
| J Mullin 40 D Burton (pen) 58 D Burton 59 D Burton 86 | |||
| |||
| Swindon | 4 - 2 | Yeovil | R |
| T Skiverton o.g. 24 R Fallon 50 C Heath 66 C Roberts 90 | P Bastianini 1 T Skiverton 87 | ||
| |||
| Walsall | 2 - 5 | Swansea | R |
| M Fryatt (pen) 24 W Gueret o.g. 51 | R Martinez 15 A Akinfenwa 47 O Tudur-Jones 63 K McLeod 65 P Connor 71 | ||
| |||
Barnsley lie 13th in League One with 7 points from 5 games.