Barnsley are through to the second round of the League Cup for the second time in three seasons with both advances coming via wins at Middlesbrough!
Following a 2-0 win at the Riverside in September 2020, a 93rd minute effort from Josh Benson secured a 1-0 win on Teeside and a meeting with Premier League outfit and Yorkshire rivals Leeds United at Elland Road in the second round.
In all competitions Barnsley have won only five of their last 17 matches, two of which have come against Boro.
Benson’s winner was the latest Barnsley have won a game since Boxing Day 2020 when Michal Helik’s 90+4 minute goal secured a 2-1 Championship win over Huddersfield.
It’s Barnsley’s latest winner in a cup tie since the first round of the League Cup in 2017-2018 when Ryan Hedges scored after 90+5 to defeat Morecambe 4-3.
Since 2010 Barnsley have played 30 cup ties away from home, winning only 12 (40%)
In all competitions this was only Barnsley’s second win in 29 away matches (losing 21)
Barnsley have now started 2022-2023 with three successive 1-0 scorelines (W2 L1) – the first time they had the same scoreline in their opening three games since 2000-2001 when the first three (v Norwich, Watford and Rotherham) also all ended 1-0 (W2 L1)
It is however the third successive season in which they have only conceded one goal in their opening three matches.
Despite the sound defensive record this is the first time Barnsley have failed to score a first half goal in any of their opening three matches since 2014-2015.
Barnsley have actually gone four successive games without a first half goal and have netted only one in their last 10 outings.
Barnsley have won back to back games for the first time since February and it is only the second time they have done this since April 2021.
They have kept back to back clean sheets for the first time in 12months, last doing so v Bolton (in the League Cup) and then against Coventry in August 2021.
This was Josh Benson’s first goal since February 2020 when he netted for Grimsby in League Two.
Barnsley have won successive cup ties at the Riverside, compared to just one league win there in their past 11 visits.
This was Barnsley’s sixth cup tie at Middlesbrough, prior to the two wins in the past three seasons they had lost all the previous four.
Barnsley Team:
1. Jack Walton
6. Mads Andersen
24. Robbie Cundy
21. Conor McCarthy
25. Jordan Helliwell
4. Callum Styles
48. Luca Connell
22. Clarke Oduor
27. Jack Aitchison
44. Devante Cole
19. Aiden Marsh
Substitutes:
11. Aaron Leya Iseka (for Marsh 59)
16. Luke Thomas (for Aitchison 59)
10. Josh Benson (for McCarthy 69)
23. Will Hondermarck (for Styles 77)
29. Fabio Jalo (for Cole 77)
Unused Substitutes:
5. Liam Kitching, 15. Jasper Moon, 18. Joe Ackroyd, 40. Brad Collins
Middlesbrough Team:
23. Liam Roberts
6. Dael Fry
17. Paddy McNair
15. Anfernee Dijksteel
30. Hayden Hackney
20. Caolan Boyd-Munce
33. Joseph Gibson
14. Tommy Smith
27. Marc Bola
18. Duncan Watmore
31. Sonny Finch
Substitutions:
32. Bryant Bilongo (for McNair 59)
21. Marcus Forss (for Watmore 60)
29. Chuba Akpom (for Finch 60)
34. Daniel Dodds (for Bola 74)
35. Isaac Fletcher (for Gibson 77)
Unused Substitutes:
28. Luke Daniels, 37. Kamil Conteh, 39. Jeremy Sivi, 36. Calum Kavanagh.
Middlesbrough manager Chris Wilder said:
"I was delighted with the players, the senior players were excellent in their attitude towards it. Sometimes you look at it from a mentality point of view and your senior players set the tone of that.
“It was a mixed team in terms of senior players and youngsters, and a lot of young boys off the bench too. So you look at what the senior boys’ performances and attitudes towards the game is like, and I thought they were absolutely first class.
Match Reports:
EFL Cup First Round Results
Tuesday 9th August 2022
Shrewsbury Town 3-2 Carlisle United
Edmondson 13
Leahy 45+1
Udoh 75
Dennis 81
Dunkley 86
Accrington Stanley 2-2 Tranmere Rovers (Tranmere win 12-11 on penalties
Adedoyin 37
Astley 39
Hawkes 62
Astley og 90+3
Blackpool 0-0 Barrow (Barrow win 4-3 on penalties)
Bolton Wanderers 5-1 Salford City
Thomas-Asante 23
Kachunga 31
Bodvarsson 42
Sadlier 61
Bradley 77
Afolayan 86
Bradford City 2-1 Hull City
Lewis og 24
Cook 39
Cook 44
Doncaster Rovers 0-3 Lincoln City
Kendall 12
Bishop 47
Scully 61
Fleetwood Town 1-0 Wigan Athletic
Garner 24
Grimsby Town 4-0 Crewe Alexandra
Waterfall 13
Green 34
Smith 56
Wearne 86
Harrogate Town 0-1 Stockport County
Jennings pen 53
Huddersfield Town 1-4 Preston North End
Parrott 6
McCann 20
McCann 30
Potts 51
Rhodes 67
Mansfield Town 1-2 Derby County
Hewitt og 30
Hawkins 56
Barkhuizen 69
Morecambe 0-0 Stoke City (Morecambe win 5-3 on penalties)
Rochdale 2-0 Burton Albion
Ball pen 86
Rodney 90+4
AFC Wimbledon 0-2 Gillingham
Mandron 90
Green 90+2
Cardiff City 0-3 Portsmouth
Pigott 58
Curtis pen 68
Bishop 72
Charlton Athletic 1-1 Queens Park Rangers (Charlton win 5-3 on penalties)
Roberts 80
Henry 90
Cheltenham Town 0-7 Exeter City
Nombe 23
Collins 26
Jay 28
Nombe 35
Sparkes 45+1
Kite 50
Coley 84
Crawley Town 1-0 Bristol Rovers
Nichols 73
Forest Green Rovers 2-0 Leyton Orient
Little 17
Little 50
Ipswich Town 0-1 Colchester United
Hannant 29
Luton Town 2-3 Newport County
Mendes Gomes 30
Collins 36
Lockyer 50
Zimba 52
Waite 76
Milton Keynes Dons 1-0 Sutton United
Grant 41
Northampton Town 1-2 Wycombe Wanderers
Jacobson 28
Mellor 34
Appere 76
Norwich City 2-2 Birmingham City (Norwich win 4-2 on penalties)
Sinani 45+1
Sorensen 45+3
Leko 53
Tomkinson og 77
Oxford United 2-2 Swansea City (Oxford win 5-3 on penalties)
Fulton 8
Cullen 25
Rodriguez 72
Brannagan 90+3
Walsall 2-0 Swindon Town
Johnson pen 80
Abraham 81
Reading 1-2 Stevenage
Earley 10
Ehibhationham 63
Rose 89
Wednesday 10th August 2022:
Blackburn Rovers 4-0 Hartlepool United
Wharton 32
Dack 47
Dolan 51
Markanday 73
Middlesbrough 0-1 BARNSLEY
Benson 90+3
Port Vale 1-2 Rotherham United
Rathbone 8
Ogbene 45+4
Benning 81
Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 Sunderland
Adeniran 16
Sow 56
Coventry City 1-4 Bristol City
Naismith 12
Conway 18
Conway 30
Allen 62
Weimann 90+4
Plymouth Argyle 0-2 Peterborough United
Jones 28
Taylor 90+3
Thursday 11th August 2022:
West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Sheffield United
Grant 73
Next Up:
On The Road:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Three: Derby County v Barnsley, Saturday 12th August 2022 Kick Off: 3pm
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet League One Matchday Four: Barnsley v Bristol Rovers, Tuesday 16th August 2022 Kick Off: 7:45pm