Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse...

Last updated : 21 January 2003 By West Stander
Defeats at Oakwell don't seem to hurt any more. Losing games has become second nature to the current crop of Barnsley players, who at least make the token effort of keeping their heads down as they trudge back to the warmth of their dressing room, just to prove how "gutted" they are. For the supporters, though, it's got to the point where the performances are so apathetic and the results so predictable that even the most passionate Barnsley fan is struggling to get angry. Watching the Reds lose at home is an inevitable feature of supporting Barnsley Football Club at present, like laughing at the Man of the Match award and grimacing in embarrassment when a Barnsley goal is followed by "Hey Rock 'n' Roll" blaring out of the tannoy.

Lets give the boys credit though - this defeat was a particularly special one. After all, it takes an unprecedented level of ineptness to lose after taking an early lead and then playing with a one man advantage for two thirds of the game. In saying that, the harsh dismissal of Luton's goalkeeper after half an hour (for handling outside the area) had most Barnsley fans worried: we have failed to beat ten men on several occasions this season.

These fears were realised when Luton equalised on the stroke of half-time. Brian O'Callaghan deliberated on the edge of the box, needlessly allowing the ball to run on to Matthew Spring who struck a superb shot into the top corner.

The half-time scoreline was an unfair reflection of a opening forty five minutes which had started so well for the home team. The game was only two minutes old when, after an innocuous punt up field from Marriott, Betsy was allowed to walk the ball in after a mix-up between Chris Coyne and goalkeeper Carl Emberson. Barnsley went on to create several chances as the half progressed - Dyer had three presentable opportunities and Jones struck the angle of post and cross bar with a well struck volley - but Luton always looked dangerous on the break. Kevin Nicholls, the Hatters' huge striker, frequently unsettled Barnsley's shaky looking back four, with the assistance of the hard working Thorpe and Hillier.

Second half collapses have become par for the course in recent weeks, but, in light of the fact that we were playing against ten men, even the most cynical Barnsley fan would have been shocked to see us trail 3-1 after 64 minutes. The two goals we gave away were incredibly poor. Luton went in front when Robbie Williams' weak header back to Marriott was picked up by Tony Thorpe who rounded the keeper and slotted the ball home. Thorpe then grabbed Luton's third when Howard's return ball allowed him to race past a seemingly immobile Barnsley defence and drill a low shot into the net.

Despite their one man advantage, the Reds rarely threatened against a Luton side who remained happy to sit back and defend in numbers. Not for the first time this season, the Reds lacked the craft or guile to create any clear cut chances. The inability to beat the first defender from the majority of our crosses didn't help.

Barnsley did pull one back when Hillier brought the hard working Gary Jones down on the edge of the box. Dyer scored from the spot, but an equaliser never looked likely and the last few minutes of the game, when the Reds should have been camped in the Luton half, passed without incident.

Seven defeats in eight games leaves this Barnsley fan wondering where we go from here. We can't defend and we can't score. We can't win at home and we have a shocking away record. We have a set of players who are bereft of any confidence and who play without any hint of passion or commitment. Most alarmingly, we are not in a position to make any changes: given that Mr Doyle has yet to pay off the club's debts, we can neither buy or sell a single player, or appoint a new manager.

Surviving the relegation battle that we are now deeply entrenched in does not seem a possibility. Unless Mr Doyle's takover is approved in the next couple of months, we are stuck with Glyn Hodges and this sorry bunch of 'professional' footballers for the remainder of the season. At the end of that time, we will either be thrown out of the Football League for non-payment of creditors or we will be free to kick-off season 2003-04.

In Nationwide Division 3.