Analysis of Barnsley's 3-1 home defeat in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday to Doncaster Rovers.
BARNSLEY’S MOST POINTLESS EVER GAME?
OF THE roughly 3,000 first team games staged at Oakwell since 1888, this must have been the most meaningless.
A dead rubber in the final group fixture of a competition few supporters take interest in until the Wembley final is in sight, having suffered the humiliation of being knocked out with a game to spare – it doesn’t get much more pointless.
The trophy lost most of what little respect it had when, not long after Barnsley memorably won it in 2016, it introduced top flight under 21s sides and the monotonous group stage.
When you add in that the match was on TV, it was almost in November, and there is a general unrest anyway for some home supporters after one win in 12 league games at Oakwell, it is no surprise that only 1,040 home fans turned up. That must be one of the lowest, if not the lowest, home crowds for a senior game and was only marginally more than in the away end.
The game was not pointless for the youngsters and fringe players desperately trying to make a name for themselves, or for Grant and Bayley McCann who came up against each other, or Doncaster who took it seriously and qualified for the knock-outs.
But generally it was a match the Reds could have done without, and that showed in some of the performances as they lost for the first time in seven games at home in all competitions.
The next home game for the Reds, a week on Friday, is also a South Yorkshire derby but a much bigger one as they host potential promotion rivals Rotherham United and attempt to improve their underwhelming league record at Oakwell.
FEW PLAYERS MAKE STRONG CASE FOR LEAGUE ACTION
The Reds made 11 changes from the league game on Saturday. Captain Conor McCarthy was the only natural centre-back in the 11 but formed a back three with midfielder Jonathan Bland and left-back Bayley McCann.
Doncaster made ten changes from another Yorkshire derby win at Bradford on Saturday but their side was more experienced and older than their hosts, with a full squad of first team players rather than raiding their under 21s.
They were clearly taking the competition more seriously than the Reds have throughout and got a first win at Oakwell in seven attempts since 2010.
Billy Sharp, 38, was an unused substitute for Donny. He had made his professional debut before seven of Barnsley's 18 were born.
It wasn’t even really Barnsley’s second string side, except maybe three or four players – it was more like a C team.
They are two differing approaches. Barnsley will say they have given valuable experience to youngsters who could become key players for them in the future.
But, in this game, it did sometimes seem like men against boys.
After being dominated early on, Barnsley grew into it in the first half but faded again just before half-time and conceded the opener. The Reds changed from 3-5-2 to 4-3-3 for the second half, which was more even to start with. But Donny’s more experienced substitutes made a much greater impact than Barnsley’s extremely young bench, with replacements scoring and assisting the final two goals. In the end, it could have easily been 5-1 or 6-1.
Barnsley’s midfielders Kelechi Nwakali and Josh Benson should be able to dictate games like this but they struggled to do so for the most part, while Aiden Marsh and Fabio Jalo failed to make much of an impact up front. Nwakali and Marsh did play a part in the Reds’ goal, the scorer of which is still up for debate.
Barry Cotter’s dip in form after a good start to the season was summed up in the second half when, in space on the attack and players to pass to, he tried a needless back heel flick and put the ball straight out of play.
There were no senior players, based on this performance, who moved themselves close to a league start.
GOOD DEBUT FOR BAYLEY AGAINST DAD’S TEAM
The last time a member of the McCann family started at game for Barnsley, it was January 2008 and the Reds lost 3-1 at home to Norwich.
Grant McCann, a popular midfielder during his time at Oakwell, moved to Scunthorpe later in that window while his son Bayley had just turned two.
Fast-forward to Tuesday evening and Grant was the Doncaster manager, coming up against Bayley, now 18, who made his first senior start on the left of Barnsley’s back three.
It must have been a bizarre experience for McCann the elder, focusing on managing his team but also experiencing real pride for his child who was competing against him.
That was probably incapsulated when Bayley twice cleared off the line – firstly early on from Jordan Gibson then near the end when Kyle Hurst’s powerful shot looked destined for the top right corner but he headed it over.
That summed up a good night for the teenager who seemed to thrive under the pressure of the occasion, displaying some good character and mentality which is often as crucial as raw talent in making that vital early breakthrough into men’s football. There are not many natural left-backs or left wing-backs at Oakwell so, if he can keep developing, the Northern Ireland youth international may have a chance to push for the Reds first team in the future.
Grant McCann has now won all six of his meetings with Reds head coach Darrell Clarke as managers – with his sides scoring 20 goals. He has also won his last three games at Oakwell with Hull, Peterborough and now Doncaster.
Another ex-Red’s son to play on Tuesday was Josiah Dyer, son of Bruce, who came off the bench for his third trophy appearance, two of which have been against Donny.
FLAVELL MAKES SOLID DEBUT IN GOAL
Goalkeeper Kieren Flavell made his debut, having spent 13 years at the club, two and a half of which were on the sidelines due to ACL injuries.
The 21-year-old from Pontefract, who had previously been on loan to Bradford Park Avenue and Mickleover Sports, saw a kick intercepted on the halfway line early on but instantly made a one-on-one save from Joe Sbarra with McCann clearing the rebound off the line. He also saved from Joe Ironside and Hurst, while he could do little about the goals.
Flavell is actually eight months older than Gaga Slonina, who has been number one for most of the season, and is one of a number of young goalkeepers also behind Ben Killip and Jackson Smith. It is a packed position but this performance, overall, will have given him a lot of confidence and done his future prospects no harm.
Another debutant, off the bench, was attacking midfielder Callum West who had turned 19 the previous day. He signed earlier in the year from Burnley having previously been at Macclesfield.
The young player who probably caught the eye the most was, once again, Vimal Yoganathan who looked the busiest and most likely to make something happen of the Reds attackers, while he was unlucky not to get an assist.
Bland was also picked out for praise by Clarke in the dressing room, after playing in various positions as Barnsley switched formations.
A MISERABLE TROPHY CAMPAIGN
So what have Barnsley taken from their trophy experience this season?
Well, no points.
Two red cards for Corey O’Keeffe and Donovan Pines, who were suspended for this game but may well not have played anyway after starting in the league on Saturday.
They lost to Manchester United under 21s, having led on 82 minutes, and then produced an abject performance in a 2-0 defeat at Huddersfield Town when they had one of the game’s 25 shots.
In fact, they have lost five consecutive matches in the trophy, having finished last season’s group games with a 5-1 defeat at Bradford City before being knocked out at Blackpool.
But they also saw the emergence of Yoganathan, who netted a brace in the first game, allowed the likes of Nwakali to gain fitness and show glimpses of his talent, plus giving out a series of senior debuts including 15-year-old Oliver Wilkinson who became the club’s youngest ever starter. There have also been two unusual instances of a son playing against a team coached by his father, with the McCanns replicating the experience of Reds assistant Martin Devaney and his son Jacob in August.
The trophy is ultimately the least important competition and none of this will really matter once the Reds get back to their main goal of trying to get promoted to the Championship.
