Yesterday’s game probably showed why, with this current set of players, Barnsley will not be a threat to the top six. Good enough now to stay clear of the relegation trapdoor but not consistent or capable enough to push the teams at the top end of the table.
We should not be too negative. The Reds did go into the match on the back of a five match unbeaten run which included four wins and three successive clean sheets. But the best teams, the ones who will sustain promotion pushes over the course of the season do not lose 1-0 half time leads at home to a team with just one away win in 29 trips and who had a woeful winless record at this particular ground stretching back 78 years.
In all honesty the half time lead given them to by Adam Hammill’s eighth goal of the season came completely against the run of play as Burnley, despite having not won on the road since April, dominated this game for 90 minutes with only the woodwork and one outstanding save from goalkeeper Luke Steele stopping them from racking up a far more convincing victory.
With striker Garry O’Connor now unavailable until the New Year, Andy Gray was given the responsibility of playing the lone striker role. It is surely no coincidence that in O’Connor’s second loan stint at Oakwell, he played five games, Barnsley lost none of them and won four, and in the first game since that loan expired, they suffer defeat.
Whereas O’Connor holds the ball up, knocks defenders about and links up play, Gray is half a yard off the pace, is beaten for every header and certainly looks like a player whose best days are long behind him. Burnley centre back Andre Bikey will certainly not have an easier game, and he was so comfortable with Gray that he even found time to go up the other end and head home Burnley’s winner.
Too many players in a red shirt were off key yesterday, or maybe just are not good enough. There is surely only so long that you can say summer signings Jim O’Brien and Goran Lovre are still trying to find their feet in English football, before you have to admit that they might just not be up to the rigours of the Championship.
Lovre was once again the little boy lost, although his one major contribution was a fine defence splitting pass that allowed Hammill to give The Reds hope they could extend their unbeaten Boxing Day record into an eighth year. Apart from this and indeed in most of his other 15 starts he handles the ball like a hot potato, constantly flicking it and back heeling it without any thought or direction.
O’Brien just looks a fraud on the wing. People will keep banging on about how he made the Scottish Premier League Team of the Year last season so he must be good. But lets be honest, if they actually picked the best players for the Team of the Year up there it would consist only of Celtic and Rangers players. In O’Brien we have a winger who cannot cross, shoot or beat a man and he has absolutely no pace. Yesterday whenever he got the ball he either lost it by misplacing his pass or was easily muscled off it.
There were some notable performances amid a drab display, particularly at the back. Captain Jason Shackell was again magnificent, and made one incredible last ditch challenge to stop Wade Elliott tapping a third goal into an empty net after his initial header had come back off the post. Bobby Hassell was also faultless, and marked Ross Wallace out of the game. Unfortunately on the opposite wing, John Guidetti, on loan from Manchester City, gave his fellow Eastlands team-mate Kieran Trippier a torrid afternoon and had a hand in both Burnley goals.
Steele also deserves a special mention. His new two year contract will have been met with derision by some Barnsley supporters, and rightly so but he made some notable saves yesterday, including an unbelievable one in the first half when he somehow flung himself across his goal to claw out a header from Guidetti which had goal written all over it. The rebound fell to ex Red loanee Jay Rodriguez but his powerful effort was superbly blocked on the line by Shackell.
Barnsley’s one bright spot was the goal and it was very well worked too. It arrived on 25 minutes when Lovre produced a superb cute ball that went inbetween Bikey and Clarke Carlisle and Hammill was onto it in a flash. His first time prod was parried by Burnley keeper Lee Grant but fell nicely back to Hammill to side foot into the roof of the net.
At half time, many of the 2,738 Burnley supporters surged down to the front of the stand to confront their under pressure manager Brian Laws, and chants of Laws Out could clearly be heard ringing out.
Those calls were promptly culled within nine minutes of the restart however as Burnley came out with the same purpose and endeavour they had shown in the first half and got their reward with two goals in four minutes. Firstly on 50 minutes Elliott swung in a cross which arrived to Guidetti unmarked at the back post and his header looped past a static Steele into the far corner. The Reds did come close to immediately regaining the lead when Lovre met Trippier’s free kick with a flick from the back of his head that clipped the outside of the post but by now Burnley had their tails up and come the 54th minute mark they had completely turned the game around. Wallace swung in a corner and the imposing frame of Bikey met it with a powerful header that flew into the roof of the net.
From then on it was a case of how many Burnley could get. Elliott sent a looping header against the post whilst Steele fumbled away a long range effort from Rodriguez. When Laws sent on Chris Eagles with 18 minutes remaining, many Reds fans feared the worst and he began to dictate play. Jacob Butterfield stemmed the tide slightly when he replaced the once again pathetic Hugo Colace but it was not enough to gain a point. Barnsley will have to wait to claim the record of first team to gain 1000 second tier victories and as Burnley rose to eighth with this win whilst Barnsley dropped to 16th, it showed the true reflection of where both teams feel they are heading. Unfortunately it seems to be in opposite directions.
Player Ratings:
Luke Steele – Produced one magnificent stop from Guidetti and generally looked a lot more comfortable than in most games. 7.5
Bobby Hassell – Magnificent again. Never allowed Wallace time on the ball. 8
Stephen Foster – Had a good game for the most part although will have been disappointed to lose Bikey at the corner for the second goal. 7
Jason Shackell – Conceding two goals will hurt him more than most. They were not his fault and he bossed Rodriguez in the air. Made one superb block on Elliott and cleared a Rodriguez effort off the line to cap another fine display. 8
Kieran Trippier – Looked good going forward but struggled against Guidetti. Things didn’t get any easier when Eagles came on. 6
Jim O’Brien – His bedding in period is rapidly running out. Does not look cut out for Championship football but with no competition behind him he looks likely to keep his place. 5
Hugo Colace – Another woeful, effortless display in which he didn’t even have a goal to save him. Barely got a touch, his tackling-when he did actually tackle was mistimed. Even fan patience seems to be running out as some supporters cheered when he was replaced. 4
Nathan Doyle – Had a good game. Has to do the work of two men with Colace not pulling his weight but he never stopped harrying and tracking back. Needs help though. 7
Adam Hammill – Grabbed goal number eight of the season with a smart finish but despite some probing runs in the first half he never quite set alight. Hardly touched the ball in the second half. 6
Goran Lovre – Produced a wonderful pass for the goal but that was his lot. Flicks and one touch passing are all well and good if you actually find a team-mate. Still doesn’t seem to know what his role is. 5
Andy Gray – Garry come back soon! Gray was playing against a team yesterday where he hit 30 goals in just 70 games but those days look to be long gone. Has no pace, and seems to amble after the ball rather than run. He didn’t win a single header- and I don’t think he has all season and Bikey just muscled him out of every challenge. His performance yesterday sums up the word carthorse perfectly. 4
Substitutions:
Paul Hayes (for Lovre 58) His second coming has not had the impact we all hoped. He did not do any better than Lovre and will be happily sent packing back to Preston in a couple of weeks. 4
Jacob Butterfield (for Colace 63) Immediately looked bright, spraying passes across the pitch and running purposefully at the Burnley defence. The damage had been done by then however. 7
Steven Bennett (for Gray 71) A proud moment for the youngster as the 19 year old made his first professional appearance. Looked bright too and put Gray to shame. 6
Unused: David Preece, Matt Hill, Jeronimo Nuemann, Diego Arismendi.
Sponsor’s Man of the Match: Jason Shackell.
BarnsleyBoy's Men of the Match: Bobby Hassell & Jason Shackell: Both were in superb form to ensure Burnley did not rack up an embarrassing score line.
BURNLEY: Grant, Alexander, Carlisle, Cork, Elliott, Mears, Rodriguez, Guidetti (Eagles 73), Bikey, Wallace, Easton.
Subs: Jensen, Iwelumo, Edgar, Marney, Thompson, Duff.
Most Impressed by Burnley’s: John Guidetti: The boy’s got talent but may find it hard to break into Manchester City’s star studded team. There will be no shortage of takers if City let him go.
Ref Watch: Colin Webster: Had a good solid game. The players made it easy for him with no flashpoints. 7
Npower Championship results: Sunday 26th December 2010:
BARNSLEY 1-2 Burnley
Cardiff 2-0 Coventry
Leicester 2-2 Leeds
Portsmouth 1-1 Millwall
QPR 4-0 Swansea
Reading 4-1 Bristol City
Sheffield United 2-3 Hull
Barnsley lie in 16th place in the Npower Championship with 29 points from 21 games.
We are 5 points off the Play-Offs, 11 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 15 points off First place and 8 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 27.12.10
Next Up:
On The Road:
Npower Championship Matchday Twenty Two: Swansea City v Barnsley Tuesday 28th December 2010
Tickets:
Adults - £25.00
Senior Citizens (Over 60) - £13.00
Students (With Valid NUS) - £15.00
Juveniles (Under 16 accompanied) - £4.00
Juveniles (Under 16 unaccompanied) - £10.00
Disabled Supporters - Contact the Box Office For More Information
Npower Championship Matchday Twenty Three: Nottingham Forest v Barnsley Saturday 1st January 2011 Kick-Off 3pm.
Tickets:
Adults - £25.00
Senior Citizens (Over 60) - £17.00
Students (Full Time with Valid NUS) - £12.00
Juveniles (Under 18 accompanied) - £12.00
Juveniles (Aged four to eleven years) - £6.00*
Disabled Supporters - Contact the Box Office For More Information
At Oakwell:
Npower Championship Matchday Twenty Four: Barnsley v Coventry City Monday 3rd January 2011 Kick-Off 3pm.
Tickets:
Adults - £22.00
Senior Citizens (Over 60) - £12.00
Juveniles (Under 18) - £12.00
Juveniles (Under 12) - £6.00
Disabled Supporters - Contact Box Office for more information.