Carl Dickinson hit a stunning 94th minute free-kick that took a wicked deflection off, ironically, ex Red Michael Chopra to grab all three points and end Barnsley’s hoodoo against the Welshmen.
The late late show meant that The Reds last two home wins have come via injury time goals and both coming against teams who have inflicted Wembley heartbreak on them!
Yesterday was by no means a pretty performance and for 93 minutes of it, the BBC must have been ruing their decision to choose it as their main match for the Football League highlights show. Cardiff boasted the top two scorers in the Championship and for all the stattos out there it is well worth noting that Barnsley had conceded the most home goals in the division, whilst the Bluebirds were the highest away scorers. It mattered not a jot.
Chopra and Peter Whittingham with 11 and 10 goals respectively this season were completely nullified, due in no small part to another excellent display from the Stoke pair of Dickinson and Ryan Shotton. Shotton was again kept in the centre of defence as a toe injury ruled out Darren Moore, and he stuck to his task superbly, coming out with the ball on a number of occasions where he had no right to be the victor.
The midfield pairing of Hugo Colace and Nathan Doyle were also a more competent duo than in recent weeks. The jury must remain out on them as a partnership but they were both in fine form to nullify Cardiff’s attacking threat- indeed Reds keeper Luke Steele was not tested throughout the entire game!
The main threat in the first half came from Adam Hammill’s corners. Twice he sent in dangerous efforts that firstly Anderson and then Ryan Shotton headed over. The set pieces were Hammill’s only real contributions on the game. He failed to get into his stride at all, was often far too greedy and only went close himself with one free-kick in the second half which was comfortably held by Cardiff keeper David Marshall.
Daniel Bogdanovic went close for The Reds with a carbon copy of a move from the Sheffield United game. Anderson countered and threaded a great ball through for the Maltese international, but just like against the Blades, Cardiff got a defender back to make a fine block.
Hugo Colace had The Reds best chances of a poor second half. Firstly he arrowed in a shot which Gabor Gyepes got his body behind and watch fly just past the post, before Hammill’s chipped cross was punched away by Marshall straight to the feet of the Argentine but he rushed his effort and sent it high over the bar.
The board showed three minutes of additional time but after three minutes 55 seconds, The Reds were given one last chance when Mark Hudson handled on the edge of the area. With hardly any time left, it was clear the free-kick needed power rather than placement and Dickinson did not disappoint. He strode up, and left footed smashed the ball towards goal. Of all the ironies it headed towards Michael Chopra who hit 17 goals for Barnsley in 2004-2005 and it flew off his shin straight into the back of the net! Oakwell erupted!
It was a dire game, but one in the past The Reds may well have lost. Now they can start dreaming of a top half Christmas!
Player Ratings:
Luke Steele: Didn’t have a shot to save. Will be very pleased with his afternoon. 7
Carl Dickinson: Had his best defensive performance, completely nullifying Peter Whittingham before popping up at the other end with the injury time winner! 9
Stephen Foster: The skipper returned and was in commanding form dealing with Chopra and McCormack. 8
Ryan Shotton: Made some breath taking challenges during the game, without having to dive in. His reading of the game is remarkable for his age. 9
Rob Kozluk: A pretty decent performance although his deliveries were poor. A sound game defensively so he can be proud this weekend. 7
Adam Hammill: His corners were very good but on the ball he often too the wrong and greedy option. Still not consistently on his game. 6
Hugo Colace: Far too soon to be counting chickens but Colace was BETTER than he has been so far this season. Very nearly got a goal too. 7
Nathan Doyle: Far more involved than in the Sheffield United game. Got stuck in and broke up Cardiff attacks. 7
Anderson De Silva: Again another very good performance. When on the ball he was very hard to disposes. Has to be careful about the amount of shirt pulling he does though. 7
Jon Macken: His usual industrious self. Never stopped working for 90minutes. 6
Daniel Bogdanovic: Not as deadly as in recent games. Couldn’t quite get in front of goal enough in what were dire conditions. 6
Substitutes:
Iain Hume (for Bogdanovic 75) His fresh legs were an asset against the tiring ones of Cardiff’s defence but didn’t get a chance to shoot. 5
Unused Substitutes:
David Preece, O'Neil Thompson, Bobby Hassell, Emil Hallfredsson, Jamal Campbell-Ryce, Andy Gray.
Sponsors Man of the Match: Ryan Shotton
BarnsleyBoy's Men of the Match: Ryan Shotton and Carl Dickinson: Have offered much more security to the backline and in Dickinson’s case a ferocious left foot!
CARDIFF CITY: Marshall, McNaughton (Quinn 23), Hudson, Gyepes, Kennedy, Ledley, Rae, Burke, Whittingham, Chopra, McCormack (Feeney 70).
Subs: Enckelman, Comminges, Scimeca, McEnnes, Wildig.
Most Impressed by Cardiff's: Mark Hudson: The captain had a fine game against Bogdanovic before his crucial handball paved the way for a Reds victory.
Ref Watch: Kevin Wright: Must have missed about 10 handballs during the game, apart from the crucial one at the end. Didn’t get any major decisions wrong thankfully. 6
Coca Cola Championship Results Saturday 21st November 2009
BARNSLEY 1-0 Cardiff
Coventry 1-1 Crystal Palace
Doncaster 2-0 QPR
Ipswich 0-0 Sheffield Wednesday
Leicester 1-0 Plymouth
Middlesbrough 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Reading 2-1 Blackpool
Sheffield United 1-0 Peterborough
Watford 3-0 Scunthorpe
West Brom 4-1 Bristol City
Friday 20th November 2009
Swansea 1-0 Derby
Barnsley lie in 15th place in the Coca-Cola Championship with 21 points from 17 games.
We are 6 points off the Play-Offs, 12 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 13
points off First place and 6 points above the Relegation Zone.
Up to 22/11/09
Next Up:
On The Road:
Coca-Cola Championship Matchday Eighteen: Plymouth Argyle v Barnsley Saturday 28th November 2009 Kick-Off 3pm
Tickets:
ADULTS - £24.00
SENIOR CITIZENS (OVER 65) - £16.00
YOUNG ADULT (UNDER 23) - £16.00
JUVENILES (UNDER 18) - £10.00
FAMILY TICKET (ONE ADULT AND ONE JUVENILE IN A DESIGNATED FAMILY AREA) - £26.00
Coca-Cola Championship Matchday Nineteen: Blackpool v Barnsley Saturday 5th December 2009 Kick-Off 3pm
ADULTS - £24.50
SENIOR CITIZENS (OVER 60) - £19.50
YOUNG ADULT (AGED 16-18) - £16.50
JUVENILES (UNDER 16) - £14.50
At Oakwell:
Coca-Cola Championship Matchday Twenty: Barnsley v Scunthorpe United Wednesday 9th December 2009 Kick-Off 7:45pm.
East Stand and West Stand Upper Tiers
Adults £21.00
OAP/Juvenile £12.00
Juveniles (U12) £6.00
Family Area
Adults £21.00
OAP £12.00
Juvenile £12.00
Juveniles (U12) £6.00
East Stand Lower and West Stand Lower
Adults £20.00
OAP/Juveniles £11.00
Juveniles (U12) £5.00
CK Beckett Stand (Pontefract Road End)
Adults £19.00
OAP/Juveniles £11.00
Juveniles (U12) £5.00
All Disabled Areas £19.00
Helpers FREE OF CHARGE
Please note that Juvenile U12 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.