These two teams must be evenly matched as they played out a draw for the second time this season.
Back in December, The Reds drew 1-1 at Selhurst Park and in 14 matches since they had not suffered a stalemate but Palace stood firm to leave a Barnsley game goal-less for the first time since September. But the players will wake up tomorrow, knowing they should have secured victory.
As has been mentioned plenty of times before, the first half of a game is not a time for Barnsley to score- today's stalemate means it is now just seven first half goals in the last 21 matches and just eight in the 18 home matches played this campaign. Today showed why, as The Reds took advantage of a shaky Palace defence to fashion three or four great chances, but failed to take any of them. Top scorer Daniel Bogdanovic was the main culprit, once again showing why only two of his 11 goals this season have come at Oakwell. He spurned two one-on-ones and hit a rasping drive on the turn that keeper Julian Speroni smartly turned away.
But it was a contender for miss of the season in the second half that proved it wasn't going to be Barnsley's day. Fillipe Teixeira somehow side footed wide of the far post of an open goal from five yards out.
The Reds should have been out of sight long before this however. Adam Hammill fired just over on seven minutes, Bogdanovic raced clear onto a fine Teixeira ball on 13 minutes but delayed his shot far too long, allowing Nathaniel Clyne to get back and block. Three minutes later, Hammill- who needs to take a long look at his recent performances spurned a golden chance, when he raced in behind the Palace defence, drew Speroni but then lifted his effort wide of the far post.
Hardened Barnsley fans have become accustomed to wasting chances and being caught on the break and David Preece made a fine save from a towering Alan Lee header to go some way to redeeming himself after his horror show at Newcastle last weekend.
Despite the plethora of chances created in that opening half, the creative nous from midfield was still below the standards expected. Teixeira was his usual energetic self and incredibly came out of impossible situations with the ball on several occasions, but his final ball let him down and, as shown by his horror miss in the second half, is let down by his finishing. On the other wing Hammill is becoming more frustrating by the week. He shoots from stupid positions, misses from great positions and his deliveries in the box are dreadful. His performance today was summed up when twice in the space of five minutes he attempted to take on Danny Butterfield, and twice Butterfield just stepped across to shepherd the ball out for a goal kick. In the middle, the same old problems exist. Nathan Doyle continues doing the job of two people thanks to Hugo Colace's non-committal approach and, as one fan pointed out when Jaocb Butterfield arrived in the 79th minute- it was a change that should have happened about two months ago!
Palace have to be given credit however for the way they nullified The Reds after the break. The Eagles have suffered many tribulations this season, especially off the pitch, but their commitment on it cannot be doubted. After looking bright in the first half, they did seem content to hang on for a point as the second half wore on, but former Reds boss Paul Hart got his tactics spot on. As mentioned before, Butterfield shackled Hammill, Shaun Derry snapped at everything in midfield- as you can imagine Colace relished that…… not! And even though Palace failed to test Preece after the break, the towering presence of Lee, meant Stephen Foster and Ryan Shotton continued to have their hands full.
Despite all this The Reds again had their chances. A lovely little flick by Macken was superbly tipped over the bar by Speroni before Teixeira staked a real claim for Miss of the Season on 72 minutes. Macken did brilliantly to wriggle away from Butterfield on the by-line and he squared the ball for Teixeira, who was stood unmarked five yards out and with the whole goal to aim at. Amazingly with the inside of his left boot, he knocked the ball across the face of goal and wide! It was a miss that summed up Barnsley's day.
Shotton saw a header clawed away by Speroni and the impressive Butterfield curled a 20 yard effort narrowly wide at the death, but by then it was obvious this was going to finish 0-0. Barnsley don't have too many of those - today's was only the 13th since the club returned to the Championship in 2006and Tuesday's tussle with Nottingham Forest promises to be a more entertaining affair- Forest are the only side in the top seven that The Reds have not taken at least a point off so far this season, whilst today's draw was the 11th time The Reds have failed to beat a bottom half side this campaign. I wouldn't bet against a much improved result on Tuesday…
Player Ratings:
David Preece: After the horror shows which contributed to him conceding 11 goals in his last two outings, he will be delighted to have gained his second clean sheet- Preece was also involved in The Reds other goal-less draw this season. 7
Carl Dickinson: Followed up his woeful showing at St James' Park with another poor 45 minutes here. Constantly beaten down his flank and his distribution was poor. Forced off at the break with a leg injury that makes him a doubt for Tuesday. The rest could do him good after 14 games in a row. Subbed. 4
Stephen Foster: Dealt with the towering Lee and also acted as a third striker in the second half. 7
Ryan Shotton: A lot better than last weekend. Showed much needed composure on the ball and competed well in the air. 7.5
Bobby Hassell: Another excellent display. Whether going forward or staying back he was in brilliant form. This is his best run for some time! 8
Felipe Teixeira: Always a delight on the ball and can wriggle out of impossible situations. Just a pity he cant score a tap-in from five yards…. Subbed. 7
Nathan Doyle: Is having to do the work of two men at the moment, but doing it well. Suffered a worrying eye injury in the second half which could sideline him for Tuesday. On the plus side it could mean a start for Jacob Butterfield. Booked. Subbed. 7
Hugo Colace: Continues to bemuse me as to how he gets in the team week after week. Shaun Derry had him for breakfast today. 4
Adam Hammill: The efforts there and cannot be faulted but he is woefully out of form…. As he has been since coming back to Oakwell permanently. 5
Jon Macken: After his performance today and against Blackpool, he will feel a right to be aggrieved at being dropped at Newcastle. Never seems to be in with a sniff of a goal these days but his work-rate is back to how it was when he first arrived in 2007. He's also turning into a creator, shown by THAT chance he put on a plate for Teixeira. 7.5
Daniel Bogdanovic: The difference between "Boggy" at home and away is startling. Has scored three one-on-ones in his last two matches away from Oakwell but missed two such chances on his home turf today. 5
Substitutes:
Luke Potter (for Dickinson 45) Had a shaky start, but then grew in confidence and produced one terrific cross that nobody gambled on. 6
Emil Hallfredsson (for Doyle 72) It appeared the Icelander was set to replace Colace until Doyle suddenly lost vision. It seems there's no way to get Colace off the pitch! As for Hallfredsson, he had little impact. 5
Jacob Butterfield (for Teixeira 79) Brings so much to the game, it's just astonishing he isn't starting. Produced the Red's best corner of the game and then went very close with a curling effort towards the end. 7
Unused Substitutes:
Jonathan Lund- signed on loan from Burnley this morning - click here, Anderson De Silva, Andy Gray, Iain Hume.
Sponsor's Man of the Match: Bobby Hassell
BarnsleyBoy's Man of the Match: Bobby Hassell: Again the best performer.
CRYSTAL PALACE: Speroni, Clyne, Hill, Derry, Ambrose, Danns, Carle (Ertl 45), Lawrence, Lee (N'Diaye 86), Butterfield, Djilali (Andrew 69).
Subs: John, Scannell, Hills, Manns.
Most Impressed by Crystal Palace's: Shaun Derry & Neil Danns: Derry may be getting on but he had far too much passion and desire for Colace, and while Danns is a dirty so and so, his pace caused problems throughout.
Ref Watch: Trevor Kettle: Despised in these parts for his dreadful handling of a 3-3 draw with Stoke three years ago, but apart from one VERY harsh booking he gave to Doyle, he handled the game well. 7
Coca Cola Championship Results Saturday 13th March 2010:
BARNSLEY 0-0 Crystal Palace
Coventry 1-1 Plymouth
Doncaster 2-1 Derby
Ipswich 1-0 Scunthorpe
Leicester 1-0 Cardiff
Middlesbrough 2-2 Newcastle
Preston 3-2 Nottingham Forest
Reading 2-0 Bristol City
Sheffield United 1-1 QPR
Swansea 0-0 Sheffield Wednesday
Watford 0-1 Peterborough
West Brom 3-2 Blackpool
Barnsley lie in 13th place in the Coca-Cola Championship with 46 points from 35 games.
We are 7 points off the Play-Offs, 23 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 27 Points off First place and 8 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 13/3/10
Next Up:
At Oakwell:
Coca-Cola Championship Matchday Thirty Six: Barnsley v Nottingham Forest Tuesday 16th March 2010 Kick-Off 7:45pm (ALL TICKET)
East Stand and West Stand Upper Tiers
Adults £22.00
OAP/Juvenile £12.00
Juveniles (U12) £6.00
Family Area
Adults £22.00
OAP £13.00
Juvenile £13.00
Juveniles (U12) £7.00
East Stand Lower and West Stand Lower
Adults £21.00
OAP/Juveniles £12.00
Juveniles (U12) £6.00
CK Beckett Stand (Pontefract Road End)
Adults £20.00
OAP/Juveniles £12.00
Juveniles (U12) £6.00
All Disabled Areas £20.00
Helpers FREE OF CHARGE
Please note that Juvenile U12 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.
On The Road:
Coca-Cola Championship Matchday Thirty Seven: Ipswich Town v Barnsley Saturday 20th March 2010 Kick-Off 3pm.
Tickets:
ADULTS - £31.00
SENIOR CITIZENS (OVER 60) - £22.00
STUDENTS (FULL TIME AND NUS*) - £22.00
YOUNG ADULT (16-19 YEARS) - £22.00
JUVENILES (UNDER 16) - £11.00
* Please note that a valid NUS card must be shown at the turnstiles.
Coca-Cola Championship Matchday Thirty Eight: Bristol City v Barnsley Tuesday 23rd March 2010 Kick-Off 7:45pm
ADULTS - £25.00
SENIOR CITIZENS (OVER 65) - £20.00
STUDENTS (FULL TIME AND NUS*) - £15.00
JUVENILES (UNDER 16) - £10.00
* Please note that a valid NUS card must be shown at the turnstiles.