Goals from Rory Fallon and Bruce Dyer gave the Reds their first win of 2003 against a poor Chesterfield side. Following last week’s impressive draw at Cardiff, this display continued the recent trend of solid and disciplined Barnsley performances. The newly adopted 3-5-2 formation means that the Reds are no longer a soft touch and, although it could be argued that the emphasis on defence is weakening our attacking options, the improvement in results cannot be disputed.
The Reds started brightly but before they could take their customary early lead, Chesterfield beat them to it. The Spireites’ first real attack saw Ebdon’s cross bypass the Reds defence, enabling the impressive Brandon to slam the ball home at the second attempt. There was a real sense of injustice among the Oakwell faithful, given that the first eighteen minutes of the game had been characterised by Barnsley dominance.
The Reds responded quickly, though, and were level three minutes later when Gary Jones’ looping cross was headed in by Rory Fallon. Barnsley continued to press and took a thoroughly deserved lead in the 34th minute. Chesterfield failed to clear Donovan’s corner and, after a flick on from Kay, Dyer swept the ball in from close range.
The second half brought no more goals, but the result was rarely in doubt. Barnsley struggled to create any clear cut chances, despite enjoying lots of possession, but Chesterfield rarely threatened. The Spireites' Blatherwick received a second yellow card in the dying minutes which, given our record against sides with ten men, was a cause for concern rather than celebration. This meant that the final whistle was met with an audible sigh of relief, but it should be stressed that the tight scoreline failed to reflect a game that Chesterfield never looked like getting anything from.
The back three of Kay, Austin and Crooks impressed. Crooks in particular appears to revel in this formation and, aside from his failure to cut out the cross from which Brandon gave the visitors the lead, he was dominant throughout. Kay, making his first start of the season at Oakwell, had a solid game and passed the ball extremely well at times.
At wing back, Mulligan had his best game for a long time. As well as being defensively sound, he supported the attack by putting in a number of dangerous crosses.
In midfield, the trio of Jones, Neil and Ward competed well against their Chesterfield counterparts and gained the upper hand at an early stage. Ward, especially, stood out and it was encouraging to see him barking orders at his team mates in the absence of Chris Morgan.
Up front, Rory Fallon has now claimed seven goals in eighteen starts and although he has numerous critics (myself included) there are signs that his general play is improving. His (lack of) physique means that he will never fill the role of a natural target man, but his hold up play is getting better and he is winning the ball in the air far more than he used to.
This wasn't a perfect Barnsley performance. Kevin Donovan was a big disappointment at wing back and appears to have neither the pace nor the aptitude to play in this position. Indeed, considering that he has played as a winger for the bulk of his career, his crossing was appalling at times. In addition, Bruce Dyer continues to frustrate: despite his goal yesterday, he continues to look out of sorts and with the pace, power and ability that we know he possesses, he really should be doing better.
Overall, though, this was a positive display which extended Barnsley's run to four games unbeaten. The Reds remain just one point clear of the drop zone but this performance should give Barnsley fans real hope of the club avoiding a second consecutive relegation.