Carling Cup First Round: Lincoln City 0-1 Barnsley

Ask and you shall receive was the theme of a scrappy and nervy night at Sincil Bank. With this Carling Cup First Round tie heading towards extra time and possibly penalties, the 1,041 away following (of a crowd of just 3,635) chanted for the introduction of Maltese international Daniel Bogdanovic.

They got their wish after 66 minutes and just six minutes later he bagged the all important goal to ensure The Reds did not suffer the same fate as last year when they lost 2-0 at Crewe in the First Round.

After that defeat to the then League One side, it would not have been surprising to see a lack of enthusiasm for this tie but- likely buoyed by the comeback at Hillsborough and the signing of Adam Hammill- the turn out from South Yorkshire was fantastic and vocal. It probably needed to be to keep the excitement up as this was nothing like a classic cup tie. Both sides can claim to have had enough chances to claim the game but there seemed a distinct lack of quality, especially, surprisingly in the middle of the park.

Jacob Butterfield again did well and nearly added to his goal at the weekend but Anderson De Silva failed to get a foothold in the game whilst Jamal Campbell-Ryce seemed to be on a solo mission, and seemingly refused to pass to team-mates.

All eyes though were on Hammill on his second Reds debut. He impressed with some excellent right wing crosses but did miss two sitters that could have put the game beyond doubt.

Credit has to go to Lincoln, who under the stewardship of former Huddersfield boss Peter Jackson gave as good as they got.

Jackson was Huddersfield boss when Barnsley triumphed in the League One Play-Off Semi-Finals back in 2006 and was out for revenge.

The Imps pinned The Reds back at times and so very nearly scored on 19 minutes when Rene Howe left fly from 30 yards. It looked like it was heading into the top corner but out of nowhere Luke Steele appeared to make a fantastic fingertip save.

As the higher league status suggests it was The Reds who enjoyed the better chances but as is so often the case they failed to put them away. Kayode Odejayi saw a goal-bound effort blocked by Imps defender Janos Kovacs whilst Luke Potter somehow headed over from a Hammill corner. It was the new boy though who missed the best chance of the half. Campbell-Ryce beat his man to send in a cross which the Lincoln defence missed, leaving Hammill totally unmarked at the back post. He drove his effort straight at the legs of keeper Rob Burch.

Butterfield had a lovely 30 yard effort tipped around the post by Burch at the start of the second half but as the game edged closer and closer to the end, The Reds got edgy and resorted to a horrible long ball game.

Campbell-Ryce decided to take on the world and his wife, and then walk the ball in. Countless times he got to the edge of the area but in trying to take on an extra man, he was tackled.

On 70 minutes he finally decided to shoot and when he did Burch made a fine stop and then somehow clawed Bogdanovic's effort away on the rebound. "Boggy" would have to wait a mere two more minutes before finally claiming his reward.

A long ball by Potter was chased down by Bogdanovic and Kovacs. The Imps man got there first but was superbly tackled by Bogdanovic, who then drew Burch and lifted the ball over him into the roof of the net.

One half of the "Co-op Stand" erupted- probably in relief as much as joy. Bogdanovic also showed his appreciation by pushing away his team-mates so he could run over to the supporters and kiss his badge.

The goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of Lincoln and four minutes later Hammill should really have finished the game off. Bogdanovic's shot on the turn was parried by Burch straight to Hammill, but he seemed to scuff the ball and it trickled to a relieved Burch.

It certainly wasn't pretty but after last year's awful starts a look of two games played, still unbeaten looks a whole lot better. On a side note, it means this is the Reds best start in five years!

Player Ratings:

Luke Steele: Produced a stunning stop to deny Howe and was comfortable in the air. 7

Rob Kozluk: Better than the weekend that's for sure even if the opposition wasn't as good. Solid. 6

Stephen Foster: Held the defence together well and was harshly booked. Booked. 7

Luke Potter: Got his chance due to an injury to Darren Moore and didn't disappoint. A very solid and calm display from "young Potter" in only his second start for the club. A major improvement from his debut which was an error-strewn display in a 7-0 defeat at West Brom. 7

Bobby Hassell: Was able to get forward on a regular basis to support Hammill, often overlapping to create space. Untroubled at the back too. 7

Jacob Butterfield: Another mature display to go with his weekend performance. Only the fingertips of Rob Burch denied him another goal. 7

Anderson De Silva: Very quiet game that often passed him by. To be honest there wasn't much football being played and that hindered him. 5

Jamal Campbell-Ryce: Certainly more involved than at Hillsborough but that wasn't necessarily a good thing. Seemed reluctant to pass to anybody. Tried and failed to take the whole Lincoln team on. 5

Adam Hammill: Was a constant threat, especially with his pace and crosses but missed two sitters which would have capped a perfect night for him. 7

Kayode Odejayi: You can add Janos Kovacs to Darren Purse. Both have kept Odejayi quiet in the air. Kovacs had to make a superb block from him in the first half but he is failing to reproduce his scintillating pre-season form and Bogdanovic is breathing down his neck. 6

Jon Macken: As always worked hard and linked up well but wasn't really a goal threat. Subbed. 6

Substitutes:

Daniel Bogdanovic (for Macken 66) Totally changed the game. Became the clinical finisher the side was crying out for and was only denied a hat-trick by Burch. 8.5

Unused Substitutes:

David Preece, Jordan Hibbert, Jamil Adam, Reuben Noble-Lazarus, Onome Sodje, Martin Devaney.

BarnsleyBoy's Man of the Match: Daniel Bogdanovic: Totally changed the game, deserves to start on Saturday.

LINCOLN CITY: Burch, Hughton, Kovacs, Swaibu, Brown, Oakes (Fagan 77), Butcher, S. Clarke, J. Clarke, Connor, Howe.
Subs: Hone, Clucas, Adams, Hutchinson, Coleman-Carr, Musslewhite.

Most Impressed by Lincoln's: Rob Burch and Paul Connor: Burch produces a series of fine saves whilst Connor showed Odejayi how a bustling centre forward is supposed to play.

Ref Watch: Andy Haines: Didn't really have any big decisions to call but harshly booked Foster.

Carling Cup First Round Results: Tuesday 11^th August 2009:

Accrington Stanley 2-1 Walsall

Barnet 0-2 Watford

Brentford 0-1 Bristol City

Bristol Rovers 2-1 Aldershot

Bury 0-2 West Brom

Cardiff 3-1 Dag & Red

Carlisle 1-0 Oldham

Cheltenham 1-2 Southend

Colchester 1-2 Leyton Orient

Crewe 1-2 Blackpool

Crystal Palace 2-1 Torquay

Exeter 0-5 QPR

Gillingham 2-1 Plymouth

Hereford 1-0 Charlton

Huddersfield 3-1 Stockport

Lincoln 0-1 BARNSLEY

Millwall 4-0 Bournemouth

MK Dons 1-4 Swindon

Notts County 0-1 Doncaster

Preston 5-1 Morecambe

Reading 5-1 Burton

Rotherham 2-1 Derby

Scunthorpe 2-1 Chesterfield

Sheffield United 1-2 Port Vale

Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 Rochdale

Shrewsbury 3-3 Ipswich (Ipswich win 4-2 on pens)

Southampton 2-0 Northampton

Swansea 3-0 Brighton

Tranmere 4-0 Grimsby

Wycombe 0-4 Peterborough

Yeovil 0-4 Norwich

Monday 10^th August 2009:

Darlington 0-1 Leeds

Next Up:

At Oakwell:

Coca-Cola Championship Matchday Two: Barnsley v Coventry City Saturday 15^th August 2009 Kick-Off 3pm.

Tickets:

East Stand and West Stand Upper Tiers

Adults £21.00

OAP/Juvenile £12.00

Juveniles (U11) £6.00

Barnsley Chronicle Family Area

Adults £21.00

OAP £12.00

Juvenile £12.00

Juveniles (U11) £6.00

East Stand Lower and West Stand Lower

Adults £20.00

OAP/Juveniles £11.00

Juveniles (U11) £5.00

CK Beckett Stand (Pontefract Road End)

Adults £19.00

OAP/Juveniles £11.00

Juveniles (U11) £5.00

All Disabled Areas £19.00

Helpers FREE OF CHARGE

To book tickets for forthcoming matches simply phone the Oakwell Box Office on 0871 2266777. Alternatively call at the Box Office in person; contact the Box Office by fax on 01226 211444 or e-mail boxoffice@barnsleyfc.co.uk. Please note that Juvenile U11 tickets must be purchased in advance from the Oakwell Box Office and this price will not be on sale on the turnstiles under any circumstances.

On The Road:

Coca-Cola Championship Matchday Four: Leicester City v Barnsley Saturday 22^nd August 2009 Kick-Off 3pm

ADULTS - £25.00
SENIOR CITIZENS - £21.50
STUDENTS (WITH VALID NUS) and UNDER 22s - £15.00
JUVENILES (UNDER 16) - £10.00
JUVENILES (UNDER 12) - £5.00
JUVENILES (UNDER 8) - £3.00

Official Reds on the Road coaches will be making the trip to Leicester. Coaches will depart Oakwell at 12.00pm on the day of the game and the fare is £15.00.

Man of the Match: Daniel Bogdanovic