Gabriel Slonina marked his debut with two penalty saves as Barnsley won a shoot-out at Wigan Athletic following a 1-1 draw in the EFL Cup first round on Tuesday evening.
The hosts took the lead with a first half penalty but Donovan Pines levelled early in the second half and the Reds missed a series of chances as they dominated late on.
Slonina then saved two penalties in the shoot-out as Barnsley won 4-2 to reach the second round.
Darrell Clarke made six changes from the side that lost at home to Mansfield in the league opener on Friday.
Goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina made his debut for the Reds and fellow American Donovan Pines returned from injury. Vimal Yoganathan, 18, made a rare start and young striker Leo Farrell was on the bench along with most of the players rested from Friday.
Josh Earl captained the Reds.
The match was played in very rainy conditions in front of a smattering of supporters.
Very little happened in the opening 20 minutes other than an Earl header from a Georgie Gent cross which looped into the goalkeeper’s arms.
Barry Cotter saw a free-kick well-saved then, seconds later at the other end, Slonina impressively tipped over a Joe Hugill shot after Mael de Gevigney slipped over and lost the ball.
The opener came when, after a good move down Wigan’s right, Yoganathan tripped Calvin Ramsay in the area and a penalty was awarded. Thelo Aasgard beat Slonina from the spot.
Barnsley could have levelled within seconds when Earl’s cross from the left was volleyed by Cosgrove 12 yards out but easily saved by Sam Tickle.
Adam Phillips came on at half-time for Yoganathan who had showed some of his talent going forward but was booked and conceded the penalty.
The hosts missed a big chance 20 seconds into the second half when Dion Rankine played through Aasgaard but Slonina made a good one-on-one save.
Instead it was the Reds who levelled when Gent’s corner from the left was headed by Pines into the empty net after goalkeeper Tickle rushed out and did not get the ball.
Wigan responded well to the goal when Rankine again got behind the Reds defence again and passed to Chris Sze who missed the ball with the goal gaping.
Clarke made a quadruple change on 57 minutes with Luca Connell, Max Watters, Kyran Lofthouse and Kacper Lopata all coming on. The Reds were well on top after that.
Cotter fired over a superb chance about eight yards out after a cross by Lofthouse was deflected then dropped into the box. Lopata saw a header from a set piece nodded off the line by a defender.
Lofthouse then shot over 15 yards out on the left of the box after being picked out by a fine Phillips pass. Cotter volleyed over 15 yards out after a Gent corner was half-cleared.
A weak 20-yard Aiden Marsh effort was easily saved after he swapped passes with de Gevigney.
Watters should have won it in injury-time when a Marsh cross was headed straight to him by defender James Carragher who then blocked the close-range shot although it was going wide of the left post.
Slonina saved from Aasgard and Josh Stones and, although Luca Connell missed, Phillips, Earl, Watters and Russell netted.
Barnsley (3-5-2): Slonina; De Gevigney, Pines (Lopata 57mins), Earl; Cotter, Russell, Yoganathan (Phillips HT), Craig (Connell 57), Gent (Lofthouse 57); Marsh, Cosgrove (Watters 57).
Unused: Killip, O’Keeffe, McCarthy, Farrell.
Unused: Killip, O’Keeffe, McCarthy, Farrell. Yellow cards: Yoganathan, Cotter. Goals: Pines 48.
Wigan (4-2-3-1): Tickle; Ramsay (McHugh 72), Aimson, Carragher, Chambers; M Smith (S Smith 62), Adeeko; Rankine (Thomas 62), Sze (Jones HT), Aasgard; Hugill (Stones 62). Unused: Lonergan, Kerr, Sibbick, Payne.
Goals: Aasgaard (pen) 34.
Referee: Will Finnie.
Attendance: 1,990 (350 away)
