FA Cup First Round: Barnsley 1-0 Darlington

It will happen soon.

Failure to kill off teams when we have the chance will soon be punished.

Just as in the previous week's win over Walsall, Barnsley had more than enough chances to put this game beyond doubt but were left hanging on at the end.

Paul Hayes superb chip over the Quakers keeper Sam Russell after just 5 minutes looked like opening the floodgates against a team containing ex-reds Matty Appleby and Simon Johnson.

But as usual in the last couple of weeks, all the fancy flicks and tricks are coming to nothing and instead of having a pop, most players are looking for that extra perfect pass.

The Reds spent most of the first half camped in the Darlington half yet created very little. Crosses were poor and although players got into good positions, poor final balls let the team down.

This was never so evident as when Devaney evaded a challenge to race clear down the left ( yep you can guess it). With Devaney's left peg been not so clever, he had to try and play the ball through to Richards instead of whipping in a cross. Keeper Russell slid to snatch the ball before Richards could control it.

Simon Johnson and Akpo Sodje were starting to cause problems with thier pace and Antony Kay was particularly struggling with an injury.

Due to this Darlington nearly grabbed an undeserved equaliser after 39 minutes. The ball bounced several times in the area without being cleared and Neil Wainwright cracked it against the bar with Colgan beaten. A real let-off.

The second half started off pretty much the same. Richards raced away almost straight away but his drive across the area eluded Hayes.

The attacking quartet of Devaney, Hayes, Richards and half-time sub Nathan Jarman were beginning to look threatening for The Reds but both Richards and Jarman were guilty of missing good chances.

McPhail was inches too high with a free-kick whilst Hayes beat the offside trap but was denied by a superb last ditch tackle from the highly impressive Quakers centre back Matthew Clarke.

Hayes was replaced by Nardiello after 71 minutes and as has been proved the last couple of weeks, that change usually kills our attacking instincts. Nardiello suddenly a shadow of the tricky goal grabber who signed on loan 2 seasons ago.
In fact it was Darlington who came closest to sending this tie to a replay in the closing stages.

Former Owl, Guylain Ndumbu Nsungu brought a flying save out of Colgan after 83 minutes before Clarke brought a brilliant yet extremely lucky reaction block from Colgan seconds later.

Barnsley were by far the happier team to hear the final whistle with Darlington looking more and more likely to grab something.

Teams are starting to suss now that if we only have a 1 goal advantage they can make us look shaky with sub Robbie Williams caught out a number of times.

If we don't iron this complacent football out, our play-off hopes could be derailed. Still the most important thing is we are in the hat for the Second Round. Something that hadn't happened for 2 years before today.

Player Ratings:

Nick Colgan: 2 Excellent stops in the second half ensured our passage to the Second Round. Starting to show us how good a keeper he really is. 7

Dale Tonge: Another good performance from Tongy today. Stuck to his task well. 7

Antony Kay: Once again his tendency to hoof the ball into no-mans land frustrated fans and players alike. Hobbled off at half-time 5

Bobby Hassell: Back in at the expense of Watt and was excellent. Strong in the tackle and brought the ball out from the back . 8

Neil Austin: Was good at left back first half, excellent at centre back second half. Really showed his talent. 8

Chris Shuker: Alive in the first half but taken off at half-time. 6

Brian Howard: Another good game, although seemed to drift away abit second half. Always willing to receive the ball. 7

Stephen McPhail: Again showed the skills he has and came very close with a free-kick. 7

Martin Devaney: Played on the left again. Doh! But credit to him as especially second half he gave the Darlington full back a torrid time. 7

Paul Hayes: 9 games without a goal and then 2 in a row. A lovely lob settled this encounter after just 5 minutes. Seems to have some confidence back and the attack died when he was withdrawn. 8

Marc Richards: Again impressive in the air and refused to be bullied by the big Darlington defenders. 7

Substitutes:
Nathan Jarman (for Shuker 45) Good to see him get a full half and gave his all even taking a nasty whack on the knee. 7

Robbie Williams ( for Kay 45) Looked a little shaky today. Alot of Darlington's second half chances came from his wing. 5

Daniel Nardiello (for Hayes 71) Again looked off the pace although he did chase a few lost causes. Needs to regain his appetite and goal scoring touch. 5

Man of the Match:
Neil Austin: Gave one of his best performances in a Red shirt today. Held the defence together in the closing stages.

FA Cup First Round Results: Saturday 5th November 2005

Barnet 0-1 Southend

Barnsley 1-0 Darlington

Bournemouth 1-2 Tamworth

Bristol City 0-2 Notts County

Burnham 1-3 Aldershot

Burscough 3-2 Gillingham

Bury 2-2 Scunthorpe

Cheltenham 1-0 Carlisle

Chester 2-1 Folkstone Invicta

Chippenham 1-1 Worchester

Colchester 9-1 Leamington

Eastbourne Borough 1-1 Oxford

Grimsby 1-2 Bristol Rovers

Hartlepool 2-1 Dag & Red

Histon 4-0 Hednesford

Kettering 1-3 Stevenage

Leyton Orient 0-0 Chesterfield

Lincoln City 1-1 Milton Keynes Dons

Macclesfield 1-1 Yeovil

Morecambe 1-3 Northwich

Nottingham Forest 1-1 Weymouth

Nuneaton 2-0 Ramsgate

Peterborough 0-0 Burton Albion

Rochdale 0-1 Brentford

Rotherham 3-4 Mansfield

Shrewsbury 4-1 Baintree Town

Southport 1-1 Woking

Stockport 2-0 Swansea

Swindon 2-2 Boston Utd

Torquay 1-1 Harrogate Town

Wycombe 1-3 Northampton

York 0-3 Grays Athletic

Friday 4th November 2005

Cambridge City 0-1 Hereford Utd

Merthyr 1-2 Walsall

Port Vale 2-1 Wrexham


Next Up:
On The Road: Bradford City v Barnsley Saturday 12th November 2005 Kick Off 2pm (Note earlier time) (Note: This match is pay on the gate) Ticket Prices: Adults £18 Over 60s £12 Under 16s £10

At Oakwell: Barnsley v Rotherham United Coca Cola League One Saturday 19th November 2005 Kick-Off 3pm

( Note: This is a Category A Match)

Neil Austin: Man of the Match