Nottingham Forest 3-0 Barnsley

Last updated : 25 April 2018 By Rob Miles

Survival is now out of Barnsley's hands, and defeat on Saturday against Brentford plus a win for Bolton and a draw or win for Birmingham will see the Reds return to League One after just two seasons.

The match at the City Ground last season was the last time both Sam Winnall and Conor Hourihane played a league game together for Barnsley, that 1-0 win on the 2nd January 2017 courtesy of an 88th minute stunner from Hourihane lifted the Reds to eighth in the Championship.

Since that day Barnsley have won only 12 of 63 Championship matches.

Ironically that victory 13 months ago put Barnsley on 38 points, they same number they have now but they have currently played 25 games more.

Barnsley have now been at least two goals behind at half time on nine occasions in the league this season.

On each of the last two occasions Barnsley have been relegated from this division they have been in the bottom three with two games to play, however they have less points this time around (38) than they did in 2014 (39) and 2002 (45)

This was the ninth time Barnsley have conceded three goals in a Championship game this season.

Prior to this, Forest had only scored three in their last eight matches combined.

Barnsley have lost five away league games in a row for the first time since between April and August 2017.

Aitor Karanka has now beaten Barnsley in all three games against them in all competitions.

Barnsley have now won only two of their last 18 Championship matches.

This was the 32nd game in a row in which Barnsley have conceded the first goal and thus failed to win.

Connor Mahoney became the 21st half time substitution made by Barnsley this season.

Nottingham Forest had eight shots on target, the most by a Barnsley opponent since Hull in February.

Jack Walton made his Barnsley debut, it is the first time the Reds have used three goalkeepers in one season since 2014-2015 (Adam Davies, Ross Turnbull, Joe Wildsmith)

 

Barnsley Team:

Jack Walton

Dimitri Cavare

Adam Jackson

Liam Lindsay

Dani Pinillos

Brad Potts

Gary Gardner

George Moncur

Adam Hammill

Kieffer Moore

Oli McBurnie

Substitutes:

Connor Mahoney (for Moncur 45)

Mamadou Thiam (for Hammill 71)

Tom Bradshaw (for Moore 87)

Unused Substitutes:

Adam Davies, Jason McCarthy, Ethan Pinnock, Stevie Mallan.

 

Nottingham Forest Team:

Stefanos Kapino, Eric Lichaj, Michael Mancienne, Danny Fox, Juan Fuentes, Liam Bridcutt, Ben Watson, Adlene Guedioura, Matthew Cash, Ben Brereton, Lee Tomlin.

Substitutions:

Ben Osborn (for Fuentes 45)

Apostolos Vellios (for Brereton 80)

Joe Lolley (for Tomlin 80)

Unused Substitutes:

Jordan Smith, Jack Hobbs, Tendayi Darikwa, Jack Colback.

 

Nottingham Forest manager Aitor Karanka said:

"The performance was good. It was the kind of game that we scored early on and then you could feel that everything was easier. The pressure was on them, fighting against relegation, but it was not the same as we played against Cardiff.

"You do not have the same quality if you are fighting against relegation than if you are going for promotion. On the weekend, we were better than Cardiff and lost but tonight we were better than Barnsley and we have won the game.

"When you are confident, and you don't have that pressure, you play like that. I am pleased for players like Mancienne, Lichaj, Bridcutt and Guedioura for example.

"Everyone can see that they are good players but it is easier to play when everyone is organised and you have a structure to work in."

 

Match Reports:

Official Website

BBC

Sky Sports

 

Sky Bet Championship results:

 

Tuesday 24th April 2018:

Derby County 3-1 Cardiff City

Jerome 69,90        Paterson 28

Vydra 82

Nottingham Forest 3-0 BARNSLEY

Tomlin 26

Brereton 36

Vellios 90

 

Barnsley lie in 22nd place in the Sky Bet Championship with 38 points from 44 games 

We are 33 points outside the Play-Offs, 48 points off the Automatic Promotion Places, 60 points off First place and 2 points inside the Relegation Zone.

Up to 25/04/18

 

Next Up:

At Oakwell:

Sky Bet Championship Matchday Forty Five: Barnsley v Brentford, Saturday 28th April 2018: Kick-Off 3pm.

On The Road:

Sky Bet Championship Matchday Thirty Forty Six: Derby County v Barnsley, Sunday 6th May 2018. Kick-Off: 12:30pm