Analysis of Barnsley's 2-1 win at Northampton on Tuesday. Davis Keillor-Dunn's brace put the Reds 2-0 up before a late reply and a red card for Mael de Gevigney.

BARNSLEY ONE OF BEST AWAY SIDES IN COUNTRY, BUT TENTH

WHAT do Barnsley, Sheffield United and Liverpool have in common?

No, it’s not just Nigel Spackman. It’s that they are the only three clubs in English professional football to have won ten away league games this season – following the Reds’ encouraging 2-1 success at Sixfields on Tuesday.

But, unlike the runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool and the Blades, who are second in the Championship – and despite two gutsy wins this week – Barnsley are currently short of their overall objective for the season, four points and four places off the top six in League One.

There are two separate feelings here. It is infuriating and ridiculous that their dreadful home form - four wins from 16 being the 19th best record in the division - has handicapped them so badly. But there should also be pride in the away record and ability to consistently reward the diehards who follow them around the country, with more than 500 in Northampton.

Barnsley have six away games left this season and three wins would break the club record of 12 they equalled last season. Four of those six matches are at teams currently above them in the table in Charlton, Birmingham, Leyton Orient and Reading – a huge step up from this week’s unimpressive hosts. They will likely need to win the majority of those six to have a chance of the play-offs.

REDS SHOW CHARACTER TO SLASH GAP FROM TEN POINTS TO FOUR IN WEEK

The gap between Barnsley and sixth has been slashed from ten to four points in four days with the wins at Rotherham and Northampton.

The players and staff have shown real resilience to bounce back from a run of one point in six games which looked to have ended any realistic promotion chance. It has been a very positive week, with belief and confidence beginning to grow while head coach Darrell Clarke’s name was sung regularly in the away end in midweek.

They are still outsiders in tenth but certainly they are back ’in the mix’ with 13 games left.

They will need more than character, guts and individual brilliance from Davis Keillor-Dunn to finish in the top six. The all-round performances must improve from this week’s games, with better quality on the ball and creativity needed throughout the team. But they just needed wins and they got them.

They require nine more victories from their remaining 13 matches to finish above 75 points which should put them in the top six or very close. They haven’t put a run like that together all season but it simply must happen now.

The main issue remains the home form, which desperately needs to improve, and the growing absentee list made longer by Mael de Gevigney’s three-game ban - if Tuesday’s red card is not rescinded.

KEILLOR-DUNN THE MAGICAL MATCH-WINNER

Davis Keillor-Dunn scored both of Barnsley’s goals in this game, taking his tally to 13 in all competitions for them this season. He has 12 in the league which is the fourth highest in the division.

He is capable of a moment of magic out of nowhere in a poor match which he has produced repeatedly this season to collect a lot of points for the Reds. That was typified by the opener in midweek as, after 35 dour minutes, he brought down a long ball by Josh Earl - who had skilfully turned away from a home player – skipped past Max Dyche and lashed in a superb 20-yard strike. It was a real contender for goal of the season.

Keillor-Dunn celebrated with the arm-flapping ‘chicken dance’ which was the trademark of Northampton manager Kevin Nolan during his long Premier League career, in front of giggling Reds substitutes. It was good to see some joy back in the team after a rotten run.

Keillor-Dunn is on track to better or even surpass Devante Cole’s 18 goals last season but, what the Reds have lacked which they had last time, was another player scoring regularly like John McAtee who added 15.

Stephen Humphrys at least had his best game for weeks, having been recovering from an illness which caused him to lose four kilograms.

While his goalless run extended to 17 matches across four months, his work-rate was very high and he had that sparkle back in his boots which made him a fan favourite back in the autumn.

Humphrys was beating defenders all night and brilliantly assisted the second goal. After Earl headed a poor Jordan Willis clearance back into the home half, Humphrys - whose pressing had forced the error – dinked it over Willis’ head, skipped round Dyche and played in Keillor-Dunn on the left of the box who supplied a cool finish.

They looked a really good strike partnership in this game and, with Max Watters returning from injury, the Reds’ options up front are now more healthy – although not recruiting another frontman in January may still prove costly.

NERVY FINISH AFTER O’KEEFFE ERROR

Approaching the final ten minutes, Barnsley were cruising to three points.

They had not played brilliantly in a poor game but defended well from Northampton’s crosses and set pieces while Keillor-Dunn’s class had put them 2-0 up. The hosts, who started the game 17th and were one of the lowest scorers while also being without top-scorer Cameron McGeehan, looked a beaten side who were struggling to create any chances.

Then Corey O’Keeffe badly underhit a backpass to goalkeeper Jackson Smith and Dara Costelloe intercepted. After the initial shot was blocked by O’Keeffe, Sam Hoskins fired in for 2-1. It was the 17th goal Barnsley have conceded after 75 minutes - the most in the division. O’Keeffe was taken off instantly but Clarke said he had planned to do so anyway as he was tired.

The game totally changed, the home crowd went from very quiet to raucous while the hosts suddenly had waves of attacks.

If the Reds do finish in the top six this season, a crucial moment might be the Hoskins shot after a scramble from a long throw which hit Earl’s leg and trickled inches wide of the bottom left corner. That would have been an own goal which may have sucked the life out of Barnsley’s late dash for the play-offs.

De Gevigney was shown a controversial red card for a tackle on Tariqe Fosu on 88 minutes but there were no real chances in the ten added minutes. The Frenchman probably did not need to tackle so powerfully in a harmless position 35 yards from goal, but it was a one-footed challenge and his studs were not up so the Reds may have grounds for a successful appeal.

Although they certainly panicked, they did manage to hold on and deserve credit for that.

That suggested they have progressed from earlier in the season when they conceded damaging late goals, such as the 2-0 lead they threw away in the final 20 minutes of the reverse fixture at Oakwell.

SMITH SOLID AND ROBERTS HEROIC

Goalkeeper Joe Gauci was ruled out due to injury so Jackson Smith made his full Reds debut. Smith – the fourth goalkeeper to play in the league for the Reds this season – has had a strange campaign. He was brought in as a future number one last summer but a planned loan move never happened in either window while he briefly went on emergency loan to League Two Grimsby in October.

He had a strange start to this game as he conceded a handball within minutes – having been pushed out of his box by an attacker – but easily saved the free-kick by Mitch Pinnock then made a better stop soon after from a Liam Shaw effort. He was not tested after that as the defence in front of him impressed, especially stand-in captain Marc Roberts who made 20 clearances and won 15 headers. Roberts’ return from suspension has been a massive factor in Barnsley’s two wins this week. Earl has also performed well defensively, while being involved in the build-up to both Barnsley’s goals.

Barnsley’s midfield – with Kelechi Nwakali coming in for suspended captain Luca Connell – did not always show the quality on the ball it is capable of but they all worked hard for the cause.