Fired with expectation, and looking to continue where Tuesday night's great result at Sheffield Wednesday left off, Barnsley failed to ignite a game between two poor sides at Oakwell on a blustery afternoon.
With both sides naming unchanged line-ups, the game kicked off with Barnsley playing what appeared to be a diamond formation. Loanee Andranik Teymourian made his home debut in the middle of the park, alongside Anderson and Hugo Colace, with Jamal Campbell-Ryce handed a floating role. Up front, Michael Mifsud appeared on his first Oakwell start with Maltese strike partner, Daniel Bogdanovic.
A tentative opening produced its first moment on five minutes when Van Homoet broke down the left. He sent in a cross that only needed a touch in the box, but it was partially cleared by the Addicks, who met the ball first. It fell to Andranik on the edge of the box, who ended up shooting well wide of the left hand post.
The game continued in a scrappy manner, with both sides looking like defending and trying to hit on the counter attack. Charlton continued to put high balls up to their front two of Tresor Kandol and Chris Dickson, with no real effect or penetration of The Red's defence.
The next half chance fell to Barnsley on 15 minutes. Bobby Hassell slipped a through ball to Mifsud who drilled a cross shot that ended up closer to the corner flag, but signalled Mifsud's intent. When Mifsud was supplied with the ball at his feet, he looked to try and create opportunities. Unfortunately, Barnsley continued to play a very narrow game that appeared to get congested in the middle. Anderson, Colace and Andranik were all playing on top of each other resulting in Bogdanovic pulling wide and crosses being put in high to Mifsud, who at five feet five inches, was always going to struggle against Mark Hudson in the heart of Charlton's defence.
Charlton had their fist shot of the game on 39 minutes. A corner was half cleared by The Red's defence and the ball fell to Hudson who put in a soft volley that Heinz Muller saved with all the flamboyance of an Olympic gymnast. Three minutes later and Barnsley won a free kick on the right hand side of Charlton's area. The ball was delivered poorly by Campbell-Ryce and was blocked by the first defender. The ball fell nicely for Colace who snatched at his shot from 25 yards and sent the ball high over the cross bar.
Barnsley had been the slightly better side in a drab, soulless first half that really needed one of the two sides to step up to the plate and control the game. Hassell began the second half with a promising jinking run into the box but ended up blockaded by three Charlton players when it could have been better to distribute the ball. Nine minutes in and Charlton had a penalty appeal turned down, with Darren Moore appearing to pull down Dickson as the two tussled in the penalty box. The referee refuted the claims and the game continued. As Charlton began to make more of an impression, they called Muller into action for the second real time in the game as Kandol flicked on for Therry Racon to drive a powerful shot with Muller doing well to save. At the other end, an inswinging Campbell-Ryce corner fell to Moore six yards out, who scuffed his shot wide.
With 23 minutes remaining, Simon Davey decided to try and influence the game with a double substitution that saw Adam Hammill, on loan from Liverpool, handed his home debut. Hammill replaced the ineffectual and unimpressive Anderson and Jon Macken came on for Bogdanovic. The changes resulted in Barnsley switching to a formation that gave them some much needed width with Hammill on the left wing and Campbell-Ryce on the right.
On 60 minutes the two substitutes combined well with Hammill sending in a cross from the left that was met by the head of Macken, but from seven yards out, he directed his header straight at Elliott in the Charlton goal. Barnsley seemed to fall further and further back into their own half, in a game that began to replicate the tie with Southampton here a few weeks ago.
Barnsley did have an attack that could have taken the points on 83 minutes, when Hammill attacked and put in a good shot from the left forcing Elliott into parrying his shot to the edge of his box. The ball came to Andranik 18 yards out, who pulled his shot wide of the post when he should have hit the target.
The full time whistle brought to an end the game giving both teams a vital point. Barnsley certainly need to show more passion and desire to win games at home in front of their home fans, with an improved game plan and this will be tested next Saturday when the boys from Loftus Road come to Oakwell.