I promised myself before the game I wouldn't allow myself to be disappointed by defeat no matter how narrow it was. After all Newcastle boasted Michael Owen on the pitch and Obafemi Martins on the bench. But disappointed I am.
For nearly an hour of tonight's encounter at the fantastic St James Park the game was really anybody's to win.
Yes Newcastle had the lions share of possession, but they didn't dominate the chances.
In the first half Heinz Muller had one Owen snapshot to deal with and in terms of shots that was practically it.
On the other hand, Dominik Werling nearly re-enacted his sensational free kick goal against Plymouth at the weekend but this time United keeper Shay Given produced a fantastic full length parry.
Injuries, suspensions and cup-ties had robbed Simon Davey of Stephen Foster, Andy Johnson, Brian Howard, Anderson Da Silva, Kayode Odejayi and Istvan Ferenczi but the deputies proved more than able.
When Sam Togwell and Dwayne Mattis (for his first appearance since February) ran out most people feared the worst. Over last season, in my opinion at least, those two have proved arguably the worst players at the club!
But playing against a higher calibre of players they were tremendous. Togwell has surely been studying Johnson's defensive midfielder work as he snapped into tackles and dominated the engine room whilst Mattis who has been ridiculed since his arrival at the club was tremendous in his tackling, passing and running.
On the wings Martin Devaney, fresh from been omitted from the weekend's squad was Mr Jekyll rather than Mr Hyde and beat men with ease, regularly getting the 3,000 strong Red Army on their feet.
The only downside of the performance was that of £400,000 Peruvian striker Miguel Mostto.
Indeed he was left isolated on his own in a 4-5-1 formation designed to stifle Newcastle, but the most expensive of Davey's summer recruits should have done better.
One excellent ball from Werling would have put Mostto clear but for the striker's woeful first touch that sent him away from goal. Kim Christensen put him out of his obvious misery 14 minutes from time.
In terms of possession the first half probably belonged to Newcastle but The Reds gave them some really hairy moments. The most obvious one being when Werling lined up his thunderbolt but Given showed his obvious credentials to beat it away.
Muller looked a far more comfortable proposition in goal than Nick Colgan, galloping of his line to punch away Newcastle crosses that came his way.
At half-time thing were very optimistic and remained so until the 57th minute when Newcastle finally broke through.
£7m Alan Smith played a fantastic ball behind Lewin Nyatanga and £17m Michael Own raced on to it before slipping his shot underneath Muller who got a slight touch to the ball to register his first competitive goal for 20 months. Owen's overall performance against Championship defenders should concern England fans hoping for him to be the Euro 2008 saviour against Israel and Russia next month. Apart from the goal he looked very subdued.
Credit to Barnsley though heads failed to drop and stand-in captain Rob Kozluk very nearly grabbed an equaliser on 64 minutes when his cross swirled towards goal, eluded Given but came back off the base of the post. It was to be the closest Barnsley got to keeping the tie alive and Newcastle finally booked their place in the Third Round when £9m Martins conjured an acrobatic finish past a stranded Muller with four minutes remaining, just three minutes after replacing Owen.
In all probability, looking at Martins performance in those 7 minutes if he had started it may have been a different scoreline!
Still Barnsley Football Club could leave the Carling Cup with heads held high knowing they held a team of highly paid internationals for 57 minutes and gave them a few scares along the way.
What Reds fans need to see now is more of the same at the Hawthorns on Saturday.
Player Ratings:
Heinz Muller: Refreshingly confident with crosses and was furious with his defence for letting Owen scamper clear for the opening goal. Unflappable throughout. 8
Dominik Werling: Back at left-back but still impressed especially bombing forward. So very nearly scored with his now trademark free kick that would have given Barnsley the lead. Faded a little in the second half. Booked. Subbed. 7
Dennis Souza: Managed Owen and Smith very well and again his aerial ability is priceless. 8
Lewin Nyatanga: Getting his assurance back and starting to form a formidable partnership with Souza. Coped with Owen and Smith, hopefully can do the same with Kevin Phillips and Craig Beattie on Saturday. 7
Rob Kozluk: Stand in captain in the absence of the suspended Reid and injured Howard and despite hitting a few aimless balls in Mostto's direction looked steady defending and got forward whenever possible.
So very nearly got an equaliser when his cross bounced back off the far post. 7
Rohan Ricketts: Linked up well with Werling although it was the German that got forward more. Did the defensive duties that he waylaid against Plymouth. Best performance so far. 7
Sam Togwell: Finally looked like a defensive midfielder. Snapped into tackles and played sensible passes. Maybe just maybe sitting in the stands and watching Johnson take his place has been the kick up the backside he needed. 8
Dwayne Mattis: Aghast looks when he ran out but left the field to a standing ovation. The most maligned player at the club was awesome against Premiership opposition. Tackling, passing, running and awareness. Little Emre didn't know what had hit him! A rare good day or a sign of potential? We shall see. Subbed. 9
Grant McCann: Mr Dependable was neat and tidy again in a five man midfield. The whole midfield was excellent tonight and McCann in his first start of the season played his part. 7
Martin Devaney: Another player whose omission from Saturday's squad might have helped. Had one of his unplayable nights tonight beating several men on his mazy runs. If he could play like that most of the time he would be a seriously coveted player, sadly he can't. Booked. Subbed. 8
Miguel Mostto: Often left isolated as the team concentrated on nullifying Newcastle but looked lost when he did get the ball. As a lone striker he was expected to hold up the ball and wait for support but he couldn't do that and wasted a great chance to break clear in the second half. Not the man for a lone striker role and currently not a man worth nearly half a million pounds! Subbed. 5
Substitutes:
Kim Christensen (for Mostto 76) As we were playing 4-5-1 he really should have started. Had one half-chance almost as soon as coming on. 7
Michael Coulson (for Ricketts 83) First start of the season for the promising striker who knows how to grab a cup goal. Nearly realised a dream at the end but couldn't finish. 6
Jacob Butterfield (for Devaney 87) Highly promising Academy player who had a dream debut in front of 30,523 fans. One to watch. 6
Unused Substitutes:
Nick Colgan, Rob Atkinson.
BarnsleyBoy's Man of the Match: Dwayne Mattis. Yep you read that correct, Dwayne Mattis. Looked a totally different player from last season's shell. Received a standing ovation when subbed. I would love to see him succeed.
Impressed by Newcastle's: They didn't look too impressive tonight but still have a few class players. Shay Given produced a fine stop from Werling whilst Obafemi Martins finally troubled Barnsley's defence upon his arrival.
Chant of the Night: " Shall we win a cup for you" in response to Newcastle singing "Shall we sing a song for you" despite the fact Barnsley fans were outsinging the Newcastle fans. There was actually a better chant but seeing as children might read this I cant print it.
Ref Watch: Graham Salisbury: Not bad. The game pretty much flowed for him and gave him a controversy-less time. 8
Carling Cup Results Wednesday 29th August 2007
Bristol City 1-2 Manchester City
Middlesbrough 2-0 Northampton
Newcastle 2-0 Barnsley
Tuesday 28th August 2007
Birmingham 2-1 Hereford
Bristol Rovers 1-2 West Ham
Burnley 3-0 Oldham
Cardiff 1-0 Leyton Orient
Carlisle 0-2 Coventry
Charlton 4-3 Stockport
Derby 2-2 Blackpool
Blackpool win 7-6 on penalties
Luton 3-0 Sunderland
Milton Keynes Dons 2-3 Sheffield United
Peterborough 0-2 West Brom
Plymouth 2-0 Doncaster
Portsmouth 3-0 Leeds
Rochdale 1-1 Norwich
Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 Hartlepool
Shrewsbury 0-1 Fulham
Southend 2-0 Watford
Swansea 0-1 Reading
Wigan 0-1 Hull
Wolves 1-3 Morecambe
Wrexham 0-5 Aston Villa
Next Up:
On The Road:
Coca-Cola Championship Matchday Four: West Bromwich Albion v Barnsley Saturday 1st September 2007 Kick-Off 3pm
Tickets:
Adults - £23.00
Senior Citizens (Over 60) - £14.00
Juveniles (Under 18) - £14.00
Juveniles (Under 16) - £11.00
Official Reds On The Road coaches will be making the trip to the Hawthorns. Coaches will depart Oakwell at 11.00am on the day of the game and the fare is £12.00.
At Oakwell:
Coca-Cola Matchday Five Barnsley v Scunthorpe United Saturday 15th September 2007 Kick-Off 3pm
Tickets for the big game are priced at:
East Stand and West Stand Upper Tiers
Adults £22.00
OAP/Juvenile £13.00
Juveniles (U11) £7.00
Barnsley Chronicle Family Area
Adults £22.00
OAP £13.00
Juvenile £13.00
Juveniles (U11) £7.00
East Stand Lower and West Stand Lower
Adults £21.00
OAP/Juveniles £12.00
Juveniles (U11) £6.00
Enterprise PLC Stand (Pontefract Road End)
Adults £20.00
OAP/Juveniles £12.00
Juveniles (U11) £6.00
All Disabled Areas £20.00
Helpers FREE OF CHARGE
To book tickets for forthcoming matches simply phone the Oakwell Box Office on 0871 2266777. Alternatively call at the Box Office in person; contact the Box Office by fax on 01226 211444 or e-mail boxoffice@barnsleyfc.co.uk. Please note that Juvenile U11 tickets must be purchased in advance from the Oakwell Box Office and this price will not be on sale on the turnstiles under any circumstances.
Other Reports:
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