Barnsley FC Reports &
News
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Saturday 29th November : Barnsley 2 Leeds United 3
Leese / Eaden, DeZeeuw, Markstedt, Barnard / Redfearn, Bosancic (Moses), Tinkler (Appleby), Bullock / Liddell (Hristov), Ward
Damn Damn Damn Damn Damn Damn Damn Damn Damn Damn Damn Damn.
What a start to the game, we were on fire. Leeds didn't at all look anything like top half of the table material. Sure they seemed to have a bit of pace upfront, always a danger to us but nothing really special.
After 8 minutes Liddell opened our account for the afternoon when he latched onto a Redfearn clearance. He took the ball towards the advancing Martyn and hit his shot. The keeper saved but couldn't hold on and left the ball there for Liddell to slot home. The whole place went banana's. "WE ARE PREMIER LEAGUE SAY WE ARE PREMIER LEAGUE". It's been quite a while since we played the team from Leeds and sure were we up for a bit of a celebration.
We didn't let the passion slip and kept the pressure on them. Redfearn made the second goal when he shot from distance, once again Martyn couldn't hold the shot and this time Ward was the happy recipient. 2 nil up against Leeds it couldn't get much better. Unfortunately it didn't.
Haaland got Leeds back into the game when he latched onto a corner, he had left his marker and the glanced the ball home, the two men on the line and Leese in goal could do nothing. How come the players are never in the right place. That goal took the edge off what had been a terrific first half and deservedly the team went in to a standing ovation. Sadly though it wasn't half time.
The main entertainment for the half time interval came from watching the Leeds fans in the uncovered Kop end take great delight in removing their coats and shirts swinging them around their heads. Mad as hatters, you better believe it.
The second half started quite brightly and we could have gone 3-1 up Liddell made contact with a corner it had passed by Martyn but Leeds had a defender on the line in the right place. And that was our last chance. Moses came on as a substitute and we looked to be trying to hang on for the win. Shoring up our defence. But as happened when he played for the England under 21's, it didn't work and Leeds scored. Moses wasn't at all to blame but it happened none the less. A long goalkeepers clearance bounced once when it shouldn't have and Leeds had Rod Wallace on hand to prod it past Leese.
The third Leeds goal came after we had tried to shore up the defence up even more with the introduction of Appleby. Once again that didn't work and all the hard work of the first half was wasted. 3-2 and there was no coming back. It could have been worse but for some fine keeping by Leese earlier who a one stage took the ball off the toe of an advancing attacker. Wednesday next week so a chance of quick redemption, or will we be cast further adrift???
DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN.
Saturday 22nd November : Liverpool 0 Barnsley1
Leese / Eaden, Moses, DeZeeuw, Markstedt, Barnard / Redfearn, Bullock, Tinkler / Liddell (Appleby),Ward (Hendrie)
"Are you watching, are you watching, are you watching Lawrencen!"
Smash and grab, you bet ya. 2 strikes on goal I think I counted for the whole match and it doesn't matter, the result is all important. Liverpool started off well and a number of chances went begging, the main culprits were all of the Liverpool strikeforce. McManaman clear on his own with the goal at his mercy.Sliced off his boot into the air. For once this season though we didn't buckle under pressure of the big side.
Liddell was brought down by James as he latched onto a long ball forward. Penalty! Ref are you blind, what the hell were you thinking of. Liddell didn't stay down though he just got straight up and crossed into the centre of the box, the ball bounced off Berger's feet to Ward GOOOOOOAAAAL!!!!! It then seemed to take forever to make it to the half time break, and there was still another forty five minutes left.
Nerves gangling, you better believe it. We've been here before against Wimbledon. At the start of the second half we were almost put into complete rapture when Ward found his way through the Liverpool defence. Shot just over the bar. After that we just didn't really ever get out of our own half. Cross cross cross, long ball after long ball. I lost count at the number of corners given away but the team played magnificently.
I have to pick the man of the match as Lars Leese. He was outstanding, shot saved after shot saved. The big one was when Reidle was through one on one he managed to get some part of his body to it. Others that definitely deserve a big mention are DeZeeuw and new boy Peter Markstedt. Moses did well in keeping McManaman under wraps for most of the game, a great battling team display.
By the end the tension was unbearable, blow the bloody whistle man, come on the time is up. Blow Blow Blow. Come on you git. Blow. Bring the ball into the corner Moses, they cant score from this end. And the ball didn't leave this half and we did keep the ball in there half. The ref blew his whistle and all was over the pressure was released. We had won. YEEEESSSSSSSSS. It was just about the same feeling as against Bradford last season but this time, "WE ARE PREMiER LEAGUE SAY WE ARE PREMiER LEAGUE"
Friday 21st November : Signed Swedish central defender six foot four inch Peter Markstedt for around £400,000 from Vasterass.
Monday 17th November : Reserve Player Dean Jones suspended for use of Amphetamines.
Saturday 8th November : Southampton 4 - Barnsley 1
Watson, / Krizan (Barnard 63), Moses, Shirtliff (Sheridan 46), De Zeeuw, Eaden, / Bosancic, Tinkler, Bullock, / Hendrie (Ten Heuval 56), Liddell.
What a way to start! Gerald "Penalty" Ashby does it again. At 1 minute 45 Seconds Liddell is fowled by a push in the back just about the half way line, play on. At 2 minutes Moses goes shoulder to shoulder with Kevin "Why didn't we buy him" Davies who falls to the ground. Penalty. At 3 minutes were one nil down, the jitters start. Were torn apart 2 minutes later by a good piece of running and a cross. Carlton Palmer Goal. Game Over Good Night Vienna. All the fight against Blackburn now a distant memory.
Those first two minutes aside ,we were dreadful, the worst game of the season. And the worst bit about it was that it's so far away. For the first time this season the fans just were not bothered. We did nothing and deserved nothing, all I wanted was the game to be over. Now three days later and 225 miles away it's just as bad. All we really had to sing about was Carlton Palmer being an alleged pervert, and Matt LeTissier never playing for England to which the Southampton fans retorted "He'll never play for Barnsley". How true.
The calming influence of Shirtliff didn't work and at 2-0 down I think we might as well just have taken him off and gone with another midfield player. Barnard on the bench? I'm not quite sure he seems to be our best buy of the summer and still he doesn't seem to play a full game. What is our best team? I don't know and as Danny has said recently he doesn't. Come on lads lets have some self belief. We can do it and must. Lets have no resigned to relegation business.
At 3-0 down following a Davies goal the team did come out of it's shell. Eaden hit the post and we had a bit of pressure. Liddell was brought down in the box. With the injured Redfearn missing Bosancic stepped up to take the penalty and we were just about back into the game. But not quite.
The second half saw us start brightly and Tinkler hit a good shot which the Southampton keeper saved well. Bullock made a few mazey runs down the right hand side but wasn't half the man he had been in the Coca-Cola cup game. Le Tissier hadn't really done anything then stepped up from tying his shoelace to intercept a Krizan pass and setup our old pall David Hirst for the forth and another heavy defeat has happened.
The one germ of comfort I take from the whole game was that I could see loads of the Southampton fans getting soaked in the torrential rain for most of the game. I was dry and warm in the upper tier, in what has to be said is the most piss poor stadium in the premiership.
Saturday 1st November : Barnsley 1 - Blackburn Rovers 1
Watson, / Krizan (Barnard), De Zeeuw, Shirtliff, Moses, / Bosancic, Redfearn, Bullock, Sheridan (Eaden 46), / Hendrie, Hristov (Liddell)
A point, off the bottom and Wednesday lost, i'd have taken all that before the start of the game. It was boody hard going though.
Bosancic had his first start of the season and he definitely looked as if he was up for it. Pass and move throughout the game and only once or twice getting caught on the ball. (His great failing for me last year) It's good to know that during his injury layoff he hasn't forgotten how to drop like a sack of spuds, though to be fair to the lad today he had plenty of justification for going down with the number of hard tackles going in against him.
Bosancic was involved in one of our few good moves in the first half where Hristov back heeled the ball in the box for him to run onto. He seemed to be blocked off the ball and down he went. The ref made no indication for a penalty and the game went on. It seemed as though the man in charge didn't want to do to much to affect the course of the game and liked to let it flow. On a couple of other occasions things could have been given but were not and he only stopped play when a player was down injured.
The rest of the first half found us on the back foot or more often than not passing the ball back. This was the major reason for the fan unrest during the first half. Too many times the ball was passed back instead of forwards in promising positions. I know it hurts to see the players throw away promising situations but 16,000 fans all shouting different things isn't going to help much. At least it shows we care I suppose.
Blackburn had most of the best chances of the first half and indeed had the ball in the back of the net early on, only for it to be disallowed for what I think was pushing on the corner. Still I'll take any decisions. Blackburn's goal had an element of luck about it. The ball dropped in a crowd of players. "Hand ball Ref" went up the cry from Barnsley fans and players but play continued and the ball bounced out to Tim Sherwood who shot the ball in through the same crowd.
The 2nd half saw the introduction of Eaden and new urgency and potency from Barnsley. Redfearn latched onto a cross only to see it drift past the left hand post. Eaden arriving late into the area a the far post made contact but could only hit the side netting. Redfearn had a terrific opportunity from a brilliant run by Krizan. De zeeuw powered a header in only to see it saved. Then to cap it all Hendrie had a top corner bound shot saved terrifically by Flowers in the Blackburn goal.
We seemed to play so well that the East Stand started a chant for the first time this season and it lifted the ORA. The bloke / kid with the rattle gave it a go and he also got the cheer from the ORA. Does anyone know who that is? I'm running a book with my mates at the next game as to when it will be heard first so any inside knowledge would be appreciated.
With all the pressure and attempts we had to score or the level of justice available in this world would be even less than the "LOUISE IS INNOCENT" banner above the Rovers fans indicated. After a corner the ball was half cleared and it landed at the feet of Jovo Bosancic the whole crowd shouted shoot and for the first time this season there wasn't a player to block our followup shot and from 25 yards Jovo had scored. His second for the club and first from open play. YES.
For the rest of the game it was Hang on, Come On You Reds. Blow the bloody whistle ref. He took an age, but when it came thank god we've got our point against one of the "big boys". We can do it and we can still sing "WE ARE PREMIER LEAGUE SAY WE ARE PREMIER LEAGUE". If we can put in the same commitment and determination and have the same amount of luck then we can definitely stay in this league. No questions asked.
