Brian Howard may have been denied a hat-trick by the head of David Wright at Oakwell on Tuesday night but he deserved the match ball nonetheless after putting in a real captain's display to lead The Reds to only their fourth win in 18 league games.
During that spell they have knocked Blackpool, Southend, Liverpool and Chelsea out of the FA Cup but have dropped from 8th to the edge of the relegation zone.
With all the hubbabaloo over knocking out Premier League top dogs Liverpool and then Chelsea it was back to the bread and butter on a blustery cold night at Oakwell. Whilst the 4-1 scoreline may have been a tad harsh on play-off chasing Ipswich, who hit the woodwork twice in the second half, the courage that Barnsley showed in coming from behind to win for the first time in the Championship this season was certainly commendable.
Led by Howard, who has put in some subdued displays lately, The Reds jumped five points clear of the trapdoor to League One with nine games remaining.
After disposing of Liverpool at Anfield in round Five of the FA Cup, Barnsley went to Norwich in the league and lost. After beating Roman's millionaires, the objective was to make sure league matters did not suffer again.
Cup hero Kayode Odejayi should have put The Reds two up inside the opening 20 minutes but he showed the lack of composure that saw a section of fans boo him against Southampton rather than the goal touch that saw him cheered to the rafters against Chelsea. Firstly on nine minutes,
Jon Macken (playing against his former club) produced a great pass that released Odejayi, but with just Town keeper Stephen Bywater to beat, the big Nigerian stabbed wide. Then on 17 minutes another Macken flick gave Odejayi a sight of goal but he wastefully fired it over.
He was made to pay when two minutes later, Ipswich, with two away wins this season went ahead.
The Reds defence backed off Velice Sumulikoski whose effort was superbly parried by Luke Steele but Pablo Counago slotted home despite appearing to control the ball with his arm.
At this point the omens did not look good. Barnsley were yet to win after going 1-0 behind this season whilst Ipswich were yet to lose after going 1-0 up.
The game changed eight minutes later though when Howard scored a goal out of nothing.
Jamal Campbell-Ryce laid the ball off to Bobby Hassell whose pass went through the Ipswich defence and Howard sprang the offside trap to race onto it. He was at an acute angle but managed to slide the ball superbly under Bywater's body.
For the third successive home league match the weather was not helping anybody but Ipswich should have regained the lead within four minutes of the second half.
Owen Garvan swung in a free kick but Richard Naylor, who had a short loan spell at Oakwell somehow headed over from four yards.
The Reds had the wind at their backs in the second half and it clearly helped when they took the lead after 51 minutes.
Howard delivered a delicious inswinging corner that swirled towards goal and was nodded over the line by Macken with Bywater nowhere.
Ipswich were far from done though as Steele made a great save from ex Blade Alan Quinn before Alan Lee went even closer. A rasping drive cannoning back off the post.
The woodwork again came to the rescue on 67 minutes when Counago showed great ball control before sending his effort against the bar.
It should come as no surprise. Ipswich have hit the woodwork more times than any other side in the Championship whilst Barnsley have been saved by it more times than anybody else.
The Reds though secured the game against the run of play on 82 minutes. Campbell-Ryce collected the ball in the Ipswich area before being crudely flattened by Sumulikoski and Howard coolly slotted the penalty into the bottom corner.
It became a rout minutes later when another Howard corner was helped by the wind and Wright could do nothing but help it into the roof of the net.
Forget Liverpool and Chelsea, this was by far the biggest win. Lets hope by the time our date with Wembley comes around safety is in the bag.
Player Ratings:
Luke Steele: Produced some cracking saves in the second half and the woodwork was there when he wasn't. 8
Rob Kozluk: His passes were a bit astray but could not be faulted defensively. 7
Stephen Foster: Immense. Dealt with everything that came his way. A commanding display. 8
Dennis Souza: Finally getting back to the form that made him a fans favourite at the start of the season. Dominated the burly Alan Lee. 8.5
Lewin Nyatanga: Played at left back in the absence of Van Homoet but another unruffled display. 7.5
Jamal Campbell-Ryce: A real handful as always. A delight on the ball and flattened for the crucial penalty. 7
Brian Howard: This display was the reason Everton were rumoured to be preparing a £4m bid for him in January. A real captain's display and although he may be denied a hat-trick by the dubious goal panel he certainly deserved one! More of the same Brian! Subbed. 9
Bobby Hassell: Becoming more and more accustomed to the midfield role he is being forced to play. A great pass to release Howard for the equaliser. Booked. 8
Diego Leon: Shows flashes of real class but as the weather turns cold and the teams dig in he looks out of place. Subbed. 6
Jon Macken: Back in the side, back among the goals. So vital to the team. 7
Kayode Odejayi: The hero on Saturday but wasted two great chances when the score was 0-0. Luckily it didn't come back to haunt it. Subbed. 6
Substitutes:
Sam Togwell (for Leon 66) Worked well and was more suited to this type of game than the lightweight Leon. 7
Istvan Ferenczi (for Odejayi 75) Caused problems with his strength. 7
Jacob Butterfield (for Howard 88) Brought on for experience and to give Howard his standing ovation. N/A
Unused Substitutes:
Michael Coulson, Daniel Nardiello
Ipswich:
Bywater ,Wright ,De Vos ,Naylor ,Bruce (Harding ,83 ) ,Garvan ,Norris ,Sumulikoski (Rhodes ,83 ) ,Quinn (Haynes ,87) ,Lee ,Counago
Subs not used Colgan, Miller,
BarnsleyBoy's Man of the Match: Brian Howard: Souza and Foster were rocks at the back but Howard was back to his best!
Impressed by Ipswich's: Pablo Counago looks a class act and was unlucky not to score more.
Ref Watch: Darren Drysdale: Some peculiar decisions but spot on with the penalty. 6
Other Reports:
Official Report
FootyMad
BBC
Coca-Cola Championship Results: Tuesday 11th March 2008:
BARNSLEY 4-1 Ipswich
Bristol City 0-0 Watford
Burnley 1-0 Charlton
Colchester 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday
Norwich 0-1 Stoke
Preston 2-1 Wolves
QPR 3-2 Blackpool
Scunthorpe 1-0 Plymouth
Sheffield United 2-1 Coventry
Southampton 1-0 Leicester
Wednesday 12th March 2008:
Cardiff 1-0 Hull
West Brom 1-1 Crystal Palace
Barnsley lie in 17th place in the Coca-Cola Championship with 46 points from 37 games.
We are 10 points off the Play-Offs, 20 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 21 points off First place and 5 points above the Relegation Zone
Up to and including 12/3/08
Next Up:
On The Road:
Coca Cola Championship Matchday Thirty Eight: Crystal Palace v Barnsley Saturday 15th March 2008 Kick-Off: 3pm
Tickets:
Adults - £25.00
Senior Citizens (Over 60) - £15.00
Juveniles (15 and under) - £15.00
Supporters can also purchase special family tickets for this game.'
Adult Family Ticket - Two adults and two juveniles - £52.00
Concessionary Family Ticket - Two senior citizens and two juveniles - £32.00
Official Reds on the Road coaches will be making the trip to Selhurst Park. Coaches will depart Oakwell at 9.15am on the day of the game and the fare is £19.00.
At Oakwell:
Coca Cola Championship Matchday Thirty Nine: Barnsley v Sheffield United Saturday 22nd March 2008 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.