Coca-Cola Championship Matchday Twenty Three: Wolves 2-0 Barnsley

Well that's it. 23 games gone in the 2008-2009 season, and another 23 to go. Yesterday's fairly comfortable 2-0 defeat at league leaders Wolves was The Reds 12^th defeat out of those 23- just about half. If that continued for the final half of the season, Barnsley would have a record of 23 defeats. The club survived it's first season in the Championship after accruing 26 reverses but they were saved by that fact teams such as Luton and Leeds also lost that amount, and of course the men from Elland Road suffering a ten point deduction.

Something tells me anything over 20 losses in this campaign could mean relegation.

In 2006-2007 it was a leaky defence that contributed to those results- the Reds shipped in 85 goals that season, only St Albans City who finished bottom of the Conference shipped more out of the top five divisions. By this stage of that season, 41 goals had already passed into the Barnsley net and like this season 12 defeats had occurred. This season is slightly different. Its 12 defeats again at the halfway stage as mentioned before, but only 30 goals have been shipped - the same as fourth place Burnley, less than ninth place Sheffield Wednesday, only three more than yesterday's opponents Wolves, and the second best defensive record out of the bottom eight clubs in the division.

Need I ask then where the problem lies? Barnsley have only hit the opponents net 23 times this season, that is a meagre average of just ONE goal per game. That's six less than Burnley, one less than Sheffield Wednesday and a massive 27 goals less than Wolves.

Yesterday's game at Molineux proved beyond doubt why The Reds have not managed to push on in what is now their third season at this level. The stats show that both teams had 14 attempts on goal - that is a fantastic amount of attempts for any away side, especially one that is going to a team like Wolves with such formidable home form. But then that's where the positives end. Eight of Barnsley's attempts were off target, at least five of them ending in Row Z in the first half.

Except for a poor 20 minute spell at the start of the game, it may even be fair to say The Reds dominated in midfield with Anderson and Hugo Colace once again forming an excellent partnership in the centre of the park. But upfront it was simply embarrassing. When Wolves came to Oakwell last season, both teams were in the thick of a Play-Off fight, and Wolves highly-rated goal-keeper Wayne Hennessey pulled of a couple of literally world-class saves to limit The Reds to just a 1-0 win. Both teams seem to have headed in the opposite direction since and yesterday I cannot remember Hennessey being called into serious action once. His opposite number Heinz Muller was in imperious form as Wolves kept flying on the break in the second half looking to put the game to bed.

The opening 20 minutes of the game threatened a serious thrashing as Barnsley looked like dogs trying to catch their own tails, with Wolves displaying all the confidence that comes with being top of the league, spraying some lovely balls across the pitch and they went closest to taking the lead on ten minutes when the impressive Kevin Foley sent in a cross-cum-shot that forced Muller to push the effort away from goal.

On 19 minutes the breakthrough arrived in desperately unlucky circumstances. Despite being pretty much over-run and restricted to a couple of long range efforts from Jon Macken and Diego Leon, the defence was being superbly marshalled again by Stephen Foster and Dennis Souza, before they were breached by one of their own.

Foley was again released down the right and sent in a teasing cross that Muller decided not to come for and the ball thudded off the chest of Bobby Hassell and into the net. After two superb performances from Hassell in the last two games, it was such harsh luck on the 28 year old full-back. The club's current longest-serving player has only scored four times in over 150 times and then at the home of the leaders he saw one go into his own net.

As so often with The Reds it took going behind to galvanise the players and so it proved with The Reds starting to venture more into the Wolves half but they doesn't did have the nous to get through a Wolves defence superbly marshalled by Richard Stearman and Michael Mancienne. The closest they came to an equaliser arrived on 31 minutes when a lovely move involving Marciano Van Homoet, Leon and Jamie Cureton released Jamal Campbell-Ryce on the right, but his snap shot was comfortably held by Hennessey. A minute later Cureton worked himself into a good position but sent his effort high over the bar.

Barnsley suffered a blow four minutes before half time when Souza was forced off with an hamstring injury and Rob Kozluk- one of three players back in the squad after lay-offs- replaced him.

The second half started in exactly the same vein as the first half finished with Barnsley all over Wolves, but again without ever looking like scoring.

On 56 minutes Cureton did get his head to a Campbell-Ryce cross but the flag had gone up before Hennessey got down to the effort. Can we call it a chance? Go on then.

Despite all the possession and play being spent in the Wolves half, the leaders always looked extremely dangerous on the break and could and should have put the game to bed with these opportunities.

Andy Keogh got in between Hassell and Foster but Muller came flying out to deny the Republic of Ireland player . On 71 minutes Muller was at his best again as Michael Kightly's lightening pace saw him skip past Van Homoet and Hassell before slipping Sam Vokes in one on one with the 6ft7 German and as Vokes tried to slip the ball into the corner, Muller stuck out his left leg to make a truly stunning stop. Just seconds later Kightly got in again but somehow blazed over with the goal gaping.

On 80 minutes The Reds had another half chance when Campbell-Ryce's teasing low cross was missed by both Maceo Rigters and Anderson before Wolves finally put the game beyond any doubt four minutes from time, but again it owed to a large slice of luck.

Wolves again broke with pace and Foley was slipped in behind Van Homoet before hitting his shot towards goal. Agonisingly it slipped under Muller's dive and spun over the line.

Lucky goals maybe, but we cannot even get close to scoring those. Hugo Colace picked up his fifth booking of the season to rule him out of Saturday's home game against Plymouth, and that game now becomes vital, because after that comes Burnley and Preston- both sides in the top six. The Reds hit three against Burnley in their last win in the league, but in the four matches since they have managed just two- both at Swansea.

Without a true goal-scorer this team will struggle again.

Player Ratings:

Heinz Muller: In imperious form again, producing one stunning stop from Vokes. Desperately unlucky to see the second goal squirm under him. 8

Marciano Van Homoet: Kightly had an off day in the Wolves team but he and Kevin Foley gave Van Homoet the run-around. Constantly caught out of possession. 4

Dennis Souza: Was having another good game until injury forced him off before half-time. 7

Stephen Foster: Held the defence together superbly and went close with an header at the death. 8

Bobby Hassell: Probably the last player to deserve to score an own goal but recovered well after it. 7

Diego Leon: One of his best games for the club. Produced some wonderful moves to link up with Colace and Anderson but faded in the second half when The Reds were on top surprisingly. 7

Hugo Colace: Another outstanding game. Will be sorely missed against Plymouth. 8

Anderson De Silva: Like Colace ran the midfield, but just couldn't find that killer pass. 8

Jamal Campbell-Ryce: Once again worked his socks off, and his energy levels are astounding. Looked the most likely to create something. 7

Jon Macken: Some very good hold up play but never got near to the goal-mouth. 6

Jamie Cureton: Had one decent headed chance that he put over in the second half, but despite 180 goals in 500 games in his career, he's yet to look like The Reds answer to their goal-scoring crisis. 6

Substitutes:

Rob Kozluk (for Souza 41) Slotted into the defence well, some good tackles in the second half. 7

Maceo Rigters (for Leon 72) One of his better contributions. Used his strength and pace well. 7

Unused Substitutes:

Mounir El Haimour, Kayode Odejayi, Miguel Mostto.

BarnsleyBoy's Man of the Match: Heinz Muller: Some excellent saves kept the score down.