Analysis of Barnsley's loss to Bristol Rovers at Oakwell in the FA Cup second round. The game was goalless after 90 minutes then extra-time before the visitors won 4-3 on penalties.
REDS MISS OUT ON THIRD ROUND
IF THEY hadn’t drawn at home to a seventh-tier club then fielded an ineligible player in the replay last season, this would be Barnsley’s most frustrating exit from the FA Cup for a long time.
It was still a harrowing and annoying three hours at Oakwell as the Reds bossed the match but somehow contrived to lose on penalties.
Based on selections and performances, they were obviously taking the FA Cup very seriously and desperately wanted to be in that third round draw where they could have faced a Premier League giant.
Darrell Clarke made just one change from the last league game.
Although the scrapping of replays for this season meant the Reds did not have to go to Bristol in midweek, penalties were probably the only way they would lose an extremely one-sided game in which they played well overall but were very poor in front of goal.
Having lost every EFL Trophy match and been thrashed 7-0 at Old Trafford in the EFL Cup, Barnsley now must carry out that hollow cliche and ‘concentrate on the league’.
70 SHOTS IN 3 HOME GAMES BUT 2 GOALS
In the three home games this week, the Reds have had 70 shots, 19 on target and scored two goals, while they conceded three from five shots on target.
In this game, Barnsley had 30 shots to Rovers’ six and nine out of ten on target.
It is impressive to be creating so many opportunities but shocking that they have not led to more goals - or any wins.
The Reds were on top in the first half but restricted mainly to long-range efforts then, in the second half, they created several clear-cut openings and also did the same again in extra-time. They applied almost constant pressure throughout the game.
Rovers’ goalkeeper Josh Griffiths needs some credit. The West Brom loanee has made the most saves in League One and kept out nine shots during the 120 minutes before repelling Josh Earl’s penalty. Some of them were excellent stops but he should have been beaten.
Stephen Humphrys was the main culprit in normal time. Although he played well in general, launching some excellent runs past several defenders which led to the fans singing his name, he is lacking a ruthless streak in front of goal.
For the second game in five days, he missed a key one-on-one chance - this time his tame effort was saved after Jamie Lindsay lost the ball to Luca Connell and Adam Phillips played Humphrys through. Humphrys had a close-range shot blocked and hit the post with a fine long-range effort.
Davis Keillor-Dunn was the other starting striker and had a poor game - scuffing one chance wide and missing the ball when well-placed in the box on another two occasions.
Those two were replaced by Fabio Jalo and Sam Cosgrove who both could have had a hat-trick - with Cosgrove missing a particularly glaring chance late in extra-time when he took a heavy touch in the box with the goal gaping.
There are some question marks over whether the Reds have the fire power up front to be promoted.
Darrell Clarke said he wants 40 goals from his strikers and they have 12 from 17 league games.
Keillor-Dunn - although he scored 22 goals last season in League Two - and Humphrys have not been out and out strikers for most of their careers while Cosgrove is goalless in 12 appearances.
Jalo showed more promise, as he usually does, but is still a raw teenager.
They have Max Watters to bring back after injury but they will surely need further reinforcements in the January transfer window if they are to improve their promotion credentials.
ROVERS RIDE LUCK THEN HOLD NERVE
Nil nil over 120 minutes sounds very boring but there were plenty of chances, for Barnsley, and there was an ‘are they finally going to take one of them? narrative throughout.
The Gas arrived 14th in League One, six points behind the sixth-placed Reds. They had lost seven of their ten away games in all competitions. As a club, they had lost their last six at Oakwell including in 2018 when Clarke was their manager.
Rovers made three changes from their defeat at home to Blackpool in midweek, including both centre-backs who generally performed well.
The visitors played well for the first ten minutes and hit the post but, after that, they defended for nearly two hours before holding their nerve in the shoot-out.
Manager Matt Taylor missed the game due to ‘an ongoing family emergency’ so coaches David Horseman and Wayne Carlisle were in charge.
In that context, they deserve credit for showing character and holding on despite intense pressure.
Barnsley’s back three had good games, although they were rarely troubled.
Kelechi Nwakali started in front of them - having replaced Jon Russell - and performed well, showing his wide range of passing and also joining in attacks as he came close to scoring twice. Luca Connell was back on the left of the central three, with his ball-winning and passing leading to a lot of the best chances. The starting wing-backs Corey O’Keeffe and Georgie Gent contributed to a lot of attacks then their replacements Kyran Lofthouse and Barry Cotter caused real problems for the tiring defenders.
MISS BY USUAL PEN TAKER SETS TONE FOR SHOOT-OUT
Putting your top-scorer and regular penalty-taker, who has netted three spot-kicks out of three this season, up first in the shoot-out makes a lot of sense.
But Adam Phillips crashed his shot onto the base of the left post and set the tone for a shoot-out in which Rovers netted all four of their efforts then Griffiths saved from Earl.
Phillips actually had one of his best games for a while, hitting the bar and creating chances for others as he played with real intensity. He looked like he was about to come off for Matty Craig at half-time in extra-time as he was receiving treatment, probably for cramp.
He hasn’t scored from open play since the league win over Bristol Rovers in September, after which he has played 11 times.
There were good penalties taken by Cosgrove, Jalo - despite the away end questioning who he was in colourful language - and Russell. Ben Killip got a hand to one Rovers penalty could not keep it out.
TIRING GAME BEFORE WREXHAM AND BIRMINGHAM
An extra 30 minutes in the legs and a demoralising penalty shoot-out loss were not ideal preparation for a tough week of league games against two of the top three.
The Reds now visit Wrexham - who did not play this weekend - on Tuesday before hosting Birmingham on Saturday.
They are two of the hardest games they will play this season but, if they do not win either, they will be winless in six in all competitions and likely fall a few points off the play-offs.
With other tough games to come later in the month, the Reds must be more clinical if they are to stay touch with the top six by January.
