A superb performance from substitute Daniel Nardiello saw Barnsley come from behind to seal a pulsating 3-2 win over Leeds United at Oakwell in front of the biggest crowd since February 2005!
Don't get me wrong, Leeds were by far the worst team to come to Oakwell this season and Dennis Wise has an incredibly tough job on his hands to turn around the fortunes of this ailing club.
Once again if my report had been written at half-time it would have less than complimentary as The Reds trailed 2-1 at the break.
The first half saw two teams evidently short on form and confidence attempt, painfully, to string two passes together.
And it was quite a surprise when Barnsley took the lead after 30 minutes.
A lovely left-footed cross from Michael McIndoe was meekly punched out by the on loan goal-keeper Graham Stack straight to the feet of Martin Devaney who composed himself before firing home.
Before the game Andy Ritchie talked about scraping a 1-0 win without playing well.
That theory certainly looked good, until The Reds as Ritchie put “has a happy hour, two goals for the price of one” by conceding two shockers right on half-time.
Firstly Shaun Derry was given the freedom of Oakwell to head home a Robbie Blake corner on 44 minutes before Eddie Lewis (with the use of his hand) got the better of Devaney to flick in a cross that Blake controlled beautifully before hammering past Colgan in stoppage time.
2-1 down against probably the worst team in the league!
Something had to change and 10 minutes into the second half it duly did.
Chants of “Nardiello” rang from the stands after 55 minutes and for once Ritchie duly took the advice, hauling off the woefully ineffective Marc Richards whose game was summed up by missing from 5yards in the first half, and on came Nardiello.
The impact was nearly instant with the team now playing more confident and attacking with real purpose. Tommy Wright also seemed to benefit with a more nimble and pacy partner.
The Reds finally got the equaliser they deserved on 64 minutes and it was a real cracker from McIndoe.
The former Doncaster man collected a poor clearance from the Leeds defence and strode forward before unleashing an unstoppable strike past Stack into the corner.
Cue a mini pitch invasion as emotions of such a highly charged and critical derby got the better of them!
It got even better 13 minutes later with a quality goal all round.
Nardiello picked the ball up twisted and turned past 3 Leeds defenders before Paul Butler nicked a touch to send the ball to Howard, he sidestepped Butler before curling a beauty around Stack and into the far corner to cue total pandemonium from fans and player alike.
Barnsley and in particular Nardiello could have increased the lead when first on 83minutes he again wrong footed the Leeds defence but Stack parried his effort. A minute later he nearly grabbed the goal of the match when he lobbed Stack from the edge of the area but the ball bounced away off the post.
Leeds nearly grabbed an equaliser at the end when Colgan was caught in no mans land and Adam Johnson's lob just cleared the bar.
The Reds clung on though through the 5 minutes of added time to clinch a massive victory (their first since 16th September) and move above Leeds out of the relegation zone.
BarnsleyBoy's Verdict: Whisper it quietly and I mean very quietly but maybe this group of players can indeed turn the season around. Don't get me wrong Leeds are a very very poor team and I sympathise massively with Dennis Wise at this time! But the second half was a fantastic performance, if only the team could play well for 90minutes. Birmingham (with 4 wins on the bounce) are next up. That will be a real test of character! But if we had lost to Leeds we would have been 4 points off safety, the win took us out of the bottom three. I predict its going to be that tight for the rest of the season…Hold on tight!
Player Ratings:
Nick Colgan: Maybe could have been better positioned for Leeds first goal and was caught in no mans land in stoppage time that could have proved costly. First “dodgy” game of the season. 6
Neil Austin: Deputised for the injured Bobby Hassell and was caught out of position for Leeds second goal. Needs to up his game. 6
Antony Kay: Strong at the back and gave fellow Barnsley boy Geoff Horsfield nothing in the game. Booked. 7
Paul Reid ©: Taken some criticism in the last few games, much improved here. Booked. 7
Paul Heckingbottom: Not his biggest fan as you all know, looked very scary as Leeds pressed at the end. 6
Martin Devaney: Composed finish for his first goal of the season although the shirt removal earned him a needless booking. Good display. Booked. 7
Sam Togwell: Ran around lost in the first half but improved greatly in the second and protected the back four well. 7
Brian Howard. Stunning winner capped a great second half display. Never stopped running and probing. Subbed. 8
Michael McIndoe: Quiet first half but a totally different player in the second half (again) Fantastic strike for the equaliser and he terrorised the veteran Gary Kelly!. 8
Marc Richards: Totally ineffective and missed an absolute sitter at 1-1. His games must surely be numbered. Subbed. 4
Tommy Wright: It was a case of Dumb and Dumber in his partnership with Richards, started to get more involved once Nardiello arrived. Booked. Subbed. 6
Substitutes:
Daniel Nardiello (for Richards 55) His introduction changed the game. Great skill set up the winner and he could have had a hat-trick himself. DESERVES A START!! 8
Nicky Wroe (for Howard 80) Not usually a fan but he had a fairly solid 10 minutes. 6
Paul Hayes (for Wright 90) His loss of form has cost him dear. 5
Unused Substitutes:
Robbie Williams, Colin Healy
Sponsors Man of The Match: Michael McIndoe
BarnsleyBoy's Man of the Match: McIndoe richly deserves the MOTM award this week although Nardiello runs him very close!
Most Impressed By Leeds's: Robbie Blake. His diving isn't something to be envied but showed great skill for his goal and looks like a light amid the Leeds darkness.
Ref Watch: Phil Crossley (Kent): Incredibly fussy, showing 6 yellow cards in a game that was never dirty. Still we've had worse. 5
Coca Cola Championship Results: Saturday 4th November 2006:
Barnsley 3-2 Leeds
Burnley 1-0 Ipswich
Colchester 3-1 Cardiff
Derby 2-1 West Brom
Norwich 1-0 Sunderland
Plymouth 0-1 Birmingham
Preston 3-0 Luton
QPR 4-2 Crystal Palace
Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 Leicester
Southampton 0-0 Hull
Wolves 3-1 Southend
Monday 6th November 2006:
Stoke 1-0 Coventry
Barnsley lie in 21st place in the Championship with 15 points from 16 games. We are 11 points off the Play-Offs, 17 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 18 points off First Place and 2 points above the Relegation Zone.
Next Up:
On the road:
Coca Cola Championship Matchday Seventeen: Birmingham City v Barnsley Saturday 11th November 2006 Kick Off 3pm
Tickets for the game are priced at:
Adults: £15
OAPs (over 65): £12.50
Juveniles (13-15): £12.50
Juveniles (U12): £5
Barnsley have received an initial allocation of 1,000 tickets for the game at St Andrews
Official Reds On The Road coaches will be making the trip to Birmingham. Coach tickets are also on sale, priced at £11.00 and coaches will depart Oakwell at 11.30am on the day of the game.
Coca Cola Championship Matchday Eighteen: Crystal Palace v Barnsley Saturday 18th November 2006 Kick Off 3pm
Tickets for the game are priced at:
Adults: £25
OAPs (over 60): £15
Juveniles (U16): £15
Barnsley have received a TOTAL allocation of 995 tickets for the game at Selhurst Park.
Official Reds On The Road coaches will be making the trip to Crystal Palace. Coach tickets are also on sale, priced at £18.00 and coaches will depart Oakwell at 9:45am on the day of the game.
At Oakwell:
Coca Cola Championship Matchday Nineteen: Barnsley v Ipswich Town Saturday 25th November 2006 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 01226 211200. 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.
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