With 61 minutes gone of today's Championship tussle with Plymouth Argyle I was relishing this match report after a superb display of attacking football had put Barnsley on course for a thumping home win.
But what ensured in the remaining 29minutes lead me to unfortunately look at the negatives as well.
Plymouth, who were one of the best and most attacking teams to visit Oakwell last season for the opening 13 minutes penned The Reds back in their own half. But Heinz Muller's calmness and Dennis Souza's excellent aerial ability kept Plymouth which included ex Red Rory Fallon in their starting line-up at bay.
Then on 13 minutes up popped number 13 to give The Reds the lead.
For the opening quarter of an hour Rob Kozluk had played aimless long balls up the park and the ball up the right flank here seemed little different until the superb Kayode Odejayi latched on it and laid a delightful ball back and Istvan Ferenczi simply couldn't miss to score his first league goal since netting in the 4-2 win at Plymouth back in March.
It was The Reds first attempt at goal and certainly knocked the wind out of Plymouth's sails.
Muller looked supremely confident with crosses that came into his box and must surely have installed more confidence in his defence that Nick Colgan's static state.
Andy Johnson was tackling anything and everything that moved in the midfield whilst Odejayi's power and pace were a joy to behold- Have we found our new Ashley Ward?
The knack of conceding at least 2 goals in a game though meant nerves were still frayed around Oakwell unless the lads could come up with a second (and we would find out about the knack of letting two in later) The crucial second arrived right on half-time and what a cracker it was.
Odeyjayi was fouled fully 30 yards from goal and Dominik Werling, who had been largely anonymous in a left midfield role thus far practically barged Brian Howard and new boy Anderson out of the way.
He placed the ball down before stepping backwards a few yards. And as he made his long run-up the crowd responded with ooooooooohhhhh and bang! The ball and Argyle keeper Romain Larrieu ended up in the back of net. If you haven't seen it yet, wait until you do. Roberto Carlos eat your heart out!
A fantastic end to the half and with Plymouth severely deflated more goals looked likely.
And the third arrived with 61 minutes gone.
Ferenczi was first close to heading home but the move stayed strong and Anderson delivered a fantastic right wing cross which Howard met superbly and planted a firm header into the corner of the goal. 4 in 3 league games for Howard puts him at the top of the Scorers Charts but he did little else throughout the game.
Cruise control surely….
But when Odejayi went off so did Barnsley's momentum.
Firstly just 2 minutes after Howard's goal Plymouth pulled one back as Barnsley's set-piece marking was again woefully exposed.
Peter Halmosi swung in a free kick and Muller, for once showed hesitancy and veteran Barry Hayles took full advantage to stab home.
Five minutes later it was 3-2 and real panic set in.
It seemed clear that Sylvan Ebanks-Blake was all over Dennis Souza but the ref failed to spot it. Ebanks-Blake then cantered through, drew Muller and then layed the ball on a plate for Nick Chadwick to simply tap-in.
Barnsley became edgy, Plymouth threw everything forward but The Reds were closest to finishing the game when Kim Christensen missed two golden opportunities.
First heading over an open goal and then forcing Larrieu into a smart stop.
Three points earned but the defence MUST improve. Looking at the next two games can you really imagine Michael Owen and Kevin Phillips having sleepless nights about it…
P.S Looking down on Sheffield Wednesday, bottom and pointless sure makes me happy tonight
Player Ratings:
Heinz Muller: Very confident player. A bit of hesitancy for the 1st Plymouth goal but commanding otherwise. 7
Dennis Souza: Back in the centre of defence and excelled. Won every header that came his way. A real steal on a free transfer. 9
Stephen Foster: Very solid debut. Looked calm and composed throughout. Paul Reid will have to fight for his place. 7
Lewin Nyatanga: A lot better than the Coventry game. Tried to play the ball out of defence which was encouraging. 7
Rob Kozluk: Great ball down the flank for the 1st goal but needs to calm down and not just hoof the ball all the time. 6
Dominik Werling:A lot better on the left of midfield than left back! A stunning free kick goal and also involved in the most comedic moment of the season so far. Off the field receiving treatment for a back injury Davey replaced him with Rohan Ricketts. Werling had no idea, so signalled to return to the pitch, amazingly the ref waved him back on only for Ricketts to run over and tell him he had been subbed when he was halfway on the pitch! 12 against 11 would have been great. Subbed. 8
Brian Howard: Great header put him top of the goal scoring chart but as captain he showed very little more impact. Booked. 7
Andy Johnson: Snapped at anything that moved and always involved in the game. Togwell wasn't even on the bench! Ominous signs. 8
Anderson Da Silva: Loanee making his debut had very little impact in the first half but involved more in the second half and produced a great cross for Howard to head in the third. Promising player. 7
Istvan Ferenczi: Must wish he could play Plymouth every week as his last 2 league goals have come against them. Lovely finish as well but needs to get involved more. 7
Kayode Odejayi: The pick of Daveys recruits! Pace, power, control! Ran the show before injury forced him off. Booked. 9
Kayode Odejayi: The pick of Daveys recruits! Pace, power, control! Ran the show before injury forced him off. Subbed. 9
Substitutes:
Kim Christensen (for Odejayi 58) Had two great chances to finish the game otherwise struggled to get involved. 6
Rohan Ricketts (for Werling 71) Needs to show his Tottenham form and fast! Looked lost when Plymouth piled forward at the end. 5
Unused Substitutes:
Nick Colgan, Grant McCann, Miguel Mostto.
Sponsor's Man of the Match: Dennis Souza
BarnsleyBoy's Man of the Match: Souza deserves the award but for the fact the game changed when Odejayi left, Big Kayode wins my vote
Impressed by Plymouth's: Plymouth are quite a decent outfit and wont lose to many this season. Sylvan Ebanks-Blake gave them more of a cutting edge when he came on though. Should start for them as Barry Hayles is now a moaning, whinging has-been!
Ref Watch: Barry Knight: Very good for most of the game actually. Let the game flow until the final 2 minutes where he booked 3 players! 7
Coca-Cola Championship Results Saturday 25th August 2007
Barnsley 3-2 Plymouth
Bristol City 2-1 Scunthorpe
Cardiff 0-1 Coventry
Charlton 3-2 Sheffield Wednesday
Hull 2-1 Norwich
Leicester 4-1 Watford
Preston 0-3 Colchester
Sheffield United 1-0 West Brom
Southampton 3-2 Stoke
Wolves 2-1 Blackpool
Sunday 26th August 2007
Ipswich 1-0 Crystal Palace
Barnsley lie in 17th place in the Coca Cola Championship with 4 points from 3 games. We are 1 point off the Play-Offs, 3 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 3 points off First Place and 3 points above the Relegation Zone.
Next Up:
On The Road:
Carling Cup Second Round: Newcastle United v Barnsley Wednesday 29th August 2007 Kick-Off 7:45pm
Tickets:
Adults - £15.00
Senior Citizens - £12.00
Juveniles (Under 16) - £5.00
Juveniles (Under 11) - FREE*
*Juveniles aged eleven and under can attend this match free of charge when accompanied by a full paying adult. A full paying adult can get a maximum of two free juvenile U11 tickets. Adult Season Ticket Holders must produce Special Match Voucher A from their Season Ticket book to claim their free juvenile U11 tickets.
Official Reds On The Road coaches will be making the trip to St James Park. Coaches will depart Oakwell at 4:15pm on the day of the game and the fare is £13.00.
Visit http://www.barnsleyfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/TicketNews/0,,10309~1096932,00.html
for more ticket news on the gameCoca-Cola Championship Matchday Four: West Bromwich Albion v Barnsley Saturday 1st September 2007 Kick-Off 3pm
Tickets:
Adults - £23.00
Senior Citizens (Over 60) - £14.00
Juveniles (Under 18) - £14.00
Juveniles (Under 16) - £11.00
Official Reds On The Road coaches will be making the trip to the Hawthorns. Coaches will depart Oakwell at 11.00am on the day of the game and the fare is £12.00.
At Oakwell:
Coca-Cola Matchday Five Barnsley v Scunthorpe United Saturday 15th September 2007 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.
Other Reports:
Official Report
Footymad Report
|
