Barnsley were left frustrated by rock bottom Plymouth as the Reds had to settle for a draw for the fourth time in their opening 10 games.
Alex Mowatt gave the Reds the lead after eight minutes, the second earliest goal they have scored this season (after Tom Bradshaw at Bradford - 7mins) but the earliest at Oakwell since the 30th March against Bristol City (Kieffer Moore 7mins)
Both sides scored in the first half of a Barnsley game for the second time in a week, the only two occasions it has occurred in the league this season.
This was Barnsley's third home draw of the season (from five games), nobody has drawn more in front of their own supporters in League One.
Indeed they have drawn six of their last 11 games at Oakwell in league competition.
The Reds are still unbeaten at home, the first time they have still to taste defeat after five home matches since 2003-2004 when they did not lose until the 12th match.
It's now just two defeats in the last 17 home games in League One (W10 D5), going unbeaten in each of the most recent nine.
They have also lost only one of their opening 10 league matches, collecting 19 points. It is the first time they have lost only one of their opening 10 since the Fourth Division campaign of 1978-1979 when they lost only one of the opening 12. They finished that season fourth and were promoted.
Incidentally Barnsley had 16 points after 10 games that season, however it was only two points for a win, if three had been awarded they would have had 23.
Barnsley also have five points more at this stage than they did in both their previous two promotions from League One - 2015-2016 and 2005-2006, in both of those campaigns they had lost four of their first 10 games and had 14 points.
Barnsley kept clean sheets in their first four league matches of the season for the first time in their history, they have failed to shut out the opposition in any of the subsequent six, conceding once in five and twice in one.
They have now conceded seven times this season, the joint best defensive record in League One along with Blackpool. Only Barnsley, Blackpool and Portsmouth (8) have conceded less than 10 goals so far.
Plymouth still remain the joint lowest scorers in League One this season with Ruben Lameiras’ equaliser just their eighth strike from 11 matches.
There were no second half goals in a Barnsley league (all comps) for only the second time this season, the other occasions being the 0-0 draw with AFC Wimbledon.
This was also only the third time the Reds have conceded a first half league goal this season but the second game in a row.
Barnsley made two substitutes before the hour mark in a game for the first time since the 2-1 home defeat to Burton on the 20th February when changes were made after 45 and 57.
Barnsley have failed to win any of the last three meetings with Plymouth (D2 L1) although the previous draw to this will always be controversial as a 0-0 stalemate came after the original match had been abandoned with Barnsley 4-1 up!
The Reds have gone back to back home games against Plymouth without a win for the first since 1972/1980 which were also two draws. They have lost only one of the last eight Oakwell meetings.
Barnsley enjoyed 53% ball possession, only at Bradford (49%) have they failed to have more ball possession than their opponents this season.
Plymouth had only two shots on target, the lowest amount by an opponent at Oakwell this season.
Alex Mowatt scored his first Barnsley goal in 14 appearances... however his last was back in April 2017. It is his first goal for any club since January when he scored for Oxford in a 2-1 defeat at Walsall.
Ryan Hedges set up Mowatt's wonderful left-footed effort, his first goal involvement of the season in his first appearance of the season. It's Hedges' first goal involvement since he scored against Nottingham Forest in August 2017
Barnsley Team:
1. Adam Davies
12. Dimitri Cavare
5. Ethan Pinnock
18. Adam Jackson
23. Dani Pinillos
27. Alex Mowatt
4. Kenny Dougall
7. Ryan Hedges
26. Mamadou Thiam
19. Kieffer Moore
29. Victor Adeboyejo
Substitutes
20. Brad Potts (for Pinillos 41)
21. Mike Bahre (for Adeboyejo 59)
10. George Moncur (for Thiam 85)
Unused Substitutes:
13. Jack Walton
6. Liam Lindsay
8. Cameron McGeehan
33. Jacob Brown
Plymouth Team:
1. Matt Macey, 22. Tafari Moore, 5. Ryan Edwards, 24. Peter Grant, 23. Ashley Smith-Brown, 11. Ruben Lameiras, 4. Yann Songo'o, 8. David Fox, 13. Stuart O'Keefe, 10. Graham Carey, 19. Freddie Ladapo.
Substitutions:
20. Gregg Wylde (for Lameiras 85)
Unused Substitutes:
16. Joel Grant, 17. Lionel Ainsworth, 18. Calum Dyson, 21. Kyle Letheren, 29. Alex Fletcher, 34. Daniel Rooney.
Plymouth manager Derek Adams said:
“We haven’t played better this season, this is our best performance this season.”
“We should have been ahead at half-time, we went 1-0 down – they scored a very good goal from a great hit; it hits the bar and goes in – but we have shown very good character to come back into the game and we played like a team that had a lot of confidence tonight.
“We opened up Barnsley so many times – I’m not sure why their No.5 got man of the match because Freddie Ladapo gave him a torrid time tonight – and we played like a team that should be further up the league than we are.
“We would have taken a point before the game but, when we watch the game back, we should have had three points, the chances we had.
“Freddie should have had a hat-trick in the first half; we had a chance with Ruben again; and Graham Carey; Foxy [David Fox] near the end."
“It was a very good performance. We worked extremely hard; we passed the ball well; we created a lot of good openings in the game and that was important because it’s a difficult place to come to.
“Barnsley had a lot of long-range shooting. There weren’t a lot of chances in and around the box for them. Matt Macey’s had a number of good saves, but they are from long range; our opportunities were all in and around their penalty spot.”
Match Reports:
Official Website
BBC
Sky Sports
SkyBet League One results:
Tuesday 2nd October 2018:
(5th) Accrington Stanley 1-0 Doncaster Rovers (3rd)
Zanzala 87
(17th) AFC Wimbledon 0-1 Bradford City (19th)
Payne 45+1
(6th) Barnsley 1-1 Plymouth (24th)
Mowatt 8
Lameiras 39
(16th) Burton Albion 1-2 Southend United (11th)
Boyce 21
Hopper 61
Cox 78
(14th) Coventry City 0-1 Portsmouth (1st)
Curtis 45+2
(13th) Fleetwood Town 1-1 Wycombe Wanderers (21st)
Madden 37
Akinfenwa 56
(23rd) Oxford United 1-2 Luton Town (10th)
Holmes 48
Collins 55
Potts 90+8
(15th) Rochdale 0-0 Bristol Rovers (18th)
(9th) Scunthorpe United 5-3 Charlton Athletic (8th)
Goode 3
Taylor 18 Aribo 22
Borthwick-Jackson 30
Borthwick-Jackson 38
Aribo 69
Morris pen 73
Humphrys 90+3
(4th) Sunderland 2-2 Peterborough United (2nd)
Maja 21
Ward 74
Sinclair 79
Toney 84
(7th) Walsall 0-0 Shrewsbury Town (20th)
Barnsley lie in 6th place in Sky Bet League One with 19 points from 10 games.
We are Goal Difference inside the Play-Offs, 5 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 8 points off First place and 10 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 03/10/18
Next Up:
On The Road:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Eleven: Peterborough United v Barnsley, Saturday 6th October 2018. Kick-Off: 3pm
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Twelve: Barnsley v Luton Town, Saturday 13th October 2018. Kick-Off: 12noon