Seasick Barnsley Hit By Stunner

Its not often that Barnsley are described as somebody's else bogey team, but before kick-off today Blackpool enjoyed playing The Reds as much as paying the hefty electricity bill for their promenade lights.

That changed today however as Barnsley lost at Bloomfield Road for the first time in 27 years… and probably deservedly so.

It took a wonder striker from ex Sheffield United man Steve Kabba an agonising four minutes from time to separate the two sides but this was only because Stephen Foster and Rob Kozluk had produced amazing goal-line clearance beforehand.

This was never going to be a classic with both teams scrapping for points and the game often mirrored the stadium. Poor quality.

Argentinean Hugo Colace was handed his long awaited debut but was hapless in the first half. Meant to be a defensive midfielder it was rather worrying how many challenges he shirked out of. Anderson De Silva who trained with the players in the pre-match warm-up cannot return soon enough but Colace was a marked improvement in the second half when he displayed a good eye for a pass.

Darren Moore gave by far his best display in a Barnsley shirt but if Simon Davey feels Iain Hume and Jon Macken are his first-choice strike partnership somebody needs to tell Stephen Foster that aiming long balls to them isn't going to work.

Foster is pretty much faultless in his defending and came close to scoring today but he needs to think when in possession. When Barnsley do play through the middle and on the floor they create chances, when they hit it long, they create nothing.

The first half, like the Derby game at Oakwell two weeks ago was a non-event but was punctuated by two chances for The Reds.

On 24 minutes Mounir El Haimour gained possession in midfield and galloped clear supported by Macken on the left and Martin Devaney on the right. The Frenchman stumbled as he reached the edge of the area but managed to poke the ball through to Macken, but the 31 year old- ridiculed throughout by Blackpool fans for his past Preston connections- could only hit the ball at Pool keeper Paul Rachubka and the man famously beaten by his new team mate Daniel Nardiello in the Huddersfield-Barnsley Play-Off Semi-Final in 2006, managed to parry the ball to safety.

On 33 minutes Foster had a similar chance. He managed to find some space 25 yards from goal but hit his powerful drive too close to Rachubka.

Blackpool should have taken the lead a minute from half time with their first chance of the game but Ben Burgess somehow fired over the bar from a Gary Taylor-Fletcher pull-back.

In terms of quality the second half was marginally better and Blackpool began to get on top. But not before Barnsley were denied a penalty from one of the clearest handballs you will ever see.

Macken flicked the ball into the area and Blackpool's Shaun Barker raised his fist into the air to punch the ball away. It was seen by 8,363 people but not referee Tony Bates.

On 72 minutes Blackpool were denied by Foster's bravery. Kabba got past Dennis Souza and pulled the ball back for Keith Southern to smash towards goal but incredibly Foster got his body in the way and ten minutes later a certain Daniel Nardiello nearly did to Barnsley for Blackpool what he did to Blackpool for Barnsley four years ago- score on his debut.

The substitute who had been on the pitch only six minutes curled a lovely effort past Luke Steele but Kozluk was there to head off the line.

And just as it looked like The Reds would hang on for a point their luck finally ran out.

The Barnsley defence stood off Kabba and he lined up an absolute screamer past Steele into the far corner.

Nobody fancied taking some rock home as a souvenir after that. The £26 ticket stub was more than enough!

Player Ratings:

Luke Steele: Left redundant most of the game. Saved by his defence in Blackpool's two genuine efforts and then beaten by a stunner. 6

Rob Kozluk: Great game. Sound defensively, got forward and produced a fine header off the line to deny Nardiello. 8

Dennis Souza: Outshone by Moore for once. A few sloppy headers. 6

Darren Moore: Certainly performs better when faced with burly strikers like Taylor-Fletcher and Burgess rather than nippy forwards. If only all strikers could be like Blackpool's. Booked. 8

Stephen Foster: Good defensively, nearly scored but needs to check those long balls. Booked. 7

Mounir El Haimour: Still very unconvinced about this guy. Too slow for a winger and too lightweight for a defensive midfielder. Subbed. 5

Brian Howard ©: The sooner he is stripped of the captaincy the better. Enough said. 3

Hugo Colace: Looked like a real dud in the first half but showed glimpses of how he got into the same team as Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano after the break. 7

Martin Devaney: Better than in recent weeks and gave Blackpool's full-backs something to think about. 7

Jon Macken: Came close in the first half but simply cannot buy a goal at the moment. Subbed. 6

Iain Hume: Due to his excursions with Canada, Davey only gave him 45 minutes and poor service rendered him isolated. Subbed. 5

Substitutes:

Kayode Odejayi (for Hume 45) Once again the physical presence helped but seemed to head the ball away from goal more than he did towards it. Booked. 6

Gary Teale (for El Haimour 55) Supposedly his last game on loan from Derby. Probably for the best. Has worsened the team and offered nothing today. 4

Miguel Mostto (for Macken 84) Never looked like scoring a repeat of his goal for the Reserves on Tuesday. 5

Unused Substitutes:

Heinz Muller, Bobby Hassell.

BarnsleyBoy's Man of the Match: Rob Kozluk: Moore showed he can deal with physical strikers but Kozluk was unlucky to be on the losing side.

Most Impressed by Blackpool's: Adam Hammill: Milked a tackle from Foster a bit too much but always a threat and unlocked the Barnsley defence.

Ref Watch: Tony Bates: I just think referees get worse week by week. Only booked David Vaughan despite Howard being clean through, booked Odejayi when a nothing tackle missed player and ball and missed the most blatant handball ever! Surely these refs should be punished! 2

Official Reds on the Road coaches will be making the trip to St Mary's Stadium. Price: £25. The coaches leave Oakwell at 8am on the day of the game.

Man of the Match: Rob Kozluk