Barnsley FC Reports & News
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Saturday 25th April 1998 Barnsley 0(0) Arsenal 2(1)
Watson / Eaden, Moses, DeZeeuw, Jones, Barnard / Redfearn, Tinkler(Bosancic), Bullock, Marcelle(Ward) / Fjortoft(Hendrie).
This game reminded me too much of the early part of the season. A lot of passion and persistence but no reward.
We started off well and had some good early pressure but failed to capitalise on the possession. (very early seasonish) The crowd were right behind the team from the start. "Danny Wilson's Red and White Army" ringing around the ground just as it should be at this stage of the season. This pressure did tell on Arsenal as they had two early bookings and by rights it should have been more as Bullock took the brunt from Dixon, Petit and the rest.
The deadlock was broken when Bergkamp took the ball well outside our area and not in a really dangerous position but he made a short run which pushed back the defender but didn't beat his man but put the ball on his right foot and from outside the box he curved the shot around DeZeeuw and Watson into the corner of the goal. So much like the goal he scored against us at Highbury. They should have gone two up before the break but Overmars couldn't make decent contact after being put through 1 on 1 with Watson.
A couple of minutes before the break Barnard had our best chance of the half, he found himself in clear ground between midfield and defence, took it on a step or two then let fly with some good power and direction to make Seaman make his only really difficult save of the game. He dived low and to his left and parried the ball around the post for a corner.
Despite substituting and bringing on Hendrie, Bosancic and Ashley Ward during the second half we didn't create enough to really bring us in with a shout of getting something from the game. While there was only a goal in it though we did stand a chance. Anelka had missed after a good 60 yard run and Overmars also missed another chance. But the game was killed off when Overmars scored to make up for his earlier misses. Platt passed through to Overmars who was running into space, a feature of the days play as Moses and DeZeeuw appeared to be on different pages of the defending manual. He ran through then slotted it under the advancing Watson who got a tough on it. They had other chances but it didn't matter because we didn't do enough.
No doubt about it Arsenal were the better side and deserved to win. A view shared by most of the Barnsley fans left in at the end chanting "Champions" at the Arse fans. On this viewing it seemed the case and they still didn't fire on all cylinders. But now the route is clear for us. Two games to go, and two wins needed to have any hope of facing Arsenal again in the league next year.
Saturday 18th April 1998 Barnsley 1(1) Tottenham Hotspur 1(0)
Watson / Eaden, Moses, DeZeeuw, Jones(Hendrie), Barnard / Redfearn1, Tinkler(Marcelle), Bullock / Fjortoft, Ward.
The Reds came out with fire in there bellies. None more so than Ashley Ward who in the first few minutes looked to be on his way to a booking with his challenges and words to the officials. It didn't happen though. Tottenham had the best of the early exchanges having most of the pressure. Off one early corner we had a nervy moment when the ball bounced around in the six yard box before it was hoofed clear.
A teriffcly worked goal brought the crowd to its feet. Gypola lost the ball in a tackle from Tinkler on the half way line. Eaden passed the ball down the line to Bullock. He set off on one of his best runs in his career he took it most of the Spurs half of the field making a bee-line straight for the goal. Once inside he jinked this through leaving two international star defenders in his wake Vega and Campbell. Then as has been improving all season he looked up and found a man in space. That man was top scorer Neil Redfearn 12 yards out. The ball burst through Spurs into the roof of the centre of the goal. 1-0. One of the goals of the season for me.
Before half time we had other chances to increase the lead. Eric Tinkler just not reaching a Redfearn cross in time. But it really shouldn't have mattered because as that was going on one of the Tottenham players removed Ashley Ward's shirt and put it on his own back and all without the ref or linesman seeing a thing.
We needed to keep the Spurs out for just another 45 minutes and we surely would be out of the bottom three. Sadly we didn't manage it. Gross had substituted Klinsman and brought on more pace in Chris Armstrong. Tottenham started strongly much as they had been for most of the first half. They won a corner, from it a shot went in and looked as if it were to just slip wide, to be on the safe side Eaden cleared it out. It only just made it out of the box and was sent straight back in. It was on it's way harmlessly wide but Colin Calderwood got in it's way and without knowing too much about it deflected the ball just past Watson for a goal. The lucky lad. It seemed every ball just bounced to a Spurs player or just safe all game.
For once we only seemed capable of getting yellow cards, and we picked them up for the stupidest things in the first half. Bullock for smashing the ball hard on the ground when a decision went against him. In the second half though the only ones to see red were Tottenham. Ward closed down Vega when he was on the ball at the edge of his own box. The defender made a hash of it and Ward was past him. Vega used all his strength and hauled down Ward. As the last man he had to go, and for once the ref had some spherical objects and Vega did.
The sending off should be the cue to pressurize the defence and force errors. For some reason it just didn't materialize. Jones came off for Hendrie and later Tinkler for Marcelle. Instead of creating stuff down the flanks as is our usual style balls were delivered high for Ward and Fjortoft to try and make something out of. This just didn't work and we couldn't break down the massed ranks of the Spurs.
The best chance of the rest of the game went to Spurs. They substituted Ferdinand for Sicknote (Anderton) and played the hitting us on the break game. Sure enough with only a couple of minutes left on the clock they had a brilliant opportunity. A Barnsley corner was well dealt with and they broke down the right. Gypola was spotted on his own on the left and the pass found him. He ran onto it with only Watson to beat. The young Tyke did a marvelous job and beat away the shot. "Watty for England". Time and again this season he has proved his worth and long may it continue, though I really would like to see him have much less work.
At the final whistle there wasn't the usual massed hysterics that would have greeted this result at the start of the season. Everyone seemed drained with giving their all in producing a sound to ring around the ground for most of the second half. "<Clap><Clap><Clap> Danny Wilson's Red and White Army"
It's a difficult task for us to get out but it's still possible to manage. And to throw in another cliche "It's not over till it's Over", So "COME ON YOU REDS".
Monday 13th April 1998 Newcastle United 2(1) Barnsley 1(0)
Watson / Eaden, Moses, DeZeeuw, Jones, Krizan (Tinkler) / Redfearn, Bosancic, Bullock(Marcelle) / Fjortoft1(Hendrie), Ward.
Another game and another goal in the last five minutes. I should have known the outcome when I saw a single Magpie on way there just past the Angel of the North. It looked like someone had tied it to the bush the way it just seemed to hop about around the bush. What is it that I should have said to ward off the evil spirits?
It took Newcastle a good five seconds to cross the half way line, they then hardly left our half for the rest of the first period. Bullock looked sprightly to begin with but for some reason seemed a little scared of taking on Stuart Pearce. When he did take him on though I realized why, he was chopped down. The ref gave a foul and told Pearce to calm down!!!! Chuffin hell if that wasn't a booking I don't know what was. I got the answer about 10 minutes later when Barton was booked for a very similar challenge. Mmmmmm one an alleged "England hero" one not.
Newcastle's first half pressure had to pay at some point. With about five minutes to go in the half Eaden lost the ball around the half way line. Newcastle drew away and the ball was crossed into Shearer who's powerful shot hit the bar. Andersson got to the rebound and nodded it over the line past the despairing Watson.
With the start of the second half we showed some renewed purpose. We spent a little longer in the Newcastle half. Creating an opening here and a chance there. From a cross the ball made its way to Ward who shot. Fjortoft got to it and just managed to force it over the line. In doing so though he injured himself and the Barnsley celebrations were somewhat subdued. He spent about five minutes just lying by the post before he was streacherd out of the ground to shouts of his name. Hendrie came on in his place. Why not Hristov? Surely he's paid his due's for the stupidity at Leeds seeing as though he's going to be missing for four from now.
Newcastle came back into the game again and created a bit more pressure on one occasion Jones nearly fell on the ball but managed to scrape it clear. He's done some fine work since his return to the side and i'm sure we would have been in a lot worse state without him. Then in the 85th minute of the second half Rob Lee put in a cross from the right to Shearer on the edge of the six yard box, with a bit of a push on Moses he created some space and nodded the ball back high over a diving Watson and into the Barnsley goal. Then the Geordies found their collective voice to hail their all conquering hero. To me at the mo he's just a wingein git.
Bullock went off for Marcelle. Nothing really came of it and all our chances like the rest of the game finished off with a poor pass to a Newcastle shirt and they came away with ease. The final whistle went a little early considering the Fjortoft break in play but I couldn't see us pulling another back. The heads had dropped.
Outside the ground it seemed a bit hairy with us walking into a wall of Geordies all over the moon at beating us. Must have been the type of game they were expecting after taking apart that other big side beginning with B, Barcelona.
Saturday 11th April 1998 : Barnsley 2(0) Sheffield Wednesday 1(0)
Watson / Eaden, Moses, De Zeeuw, Jones, Krizan / Redfearn, Bosancic, Bullock / Ward1, Hendrie(Fjortoft1)
A cold windy day set us up for a rousing South Yorkshire derby. Before the kickoff the teams switched around so Barnsley were shooting towards the ORA for the first half with the wind at their backs.
Throughout the first half I kept having flashbacks to previous seasons. Watson taking on a closing down attacker, Watson deceived by the flight of the ball and almost getting lobbed and finally the worst of the lot when a ball flew toward goal I could almost see the wind grab hold of it like against Birmingham and fly into the back of the net past Watty. I'm happy to report that none of those things went wrong today and we certainly had the best of the first half.
John Hendrie was in the thick of most of the action during the opening exchanges. He found himself on the end of a back header by one of the Wednesday defenders in the clear. Before he could pull the trigger quick as a flash Des Walker recovered and got back to slide the ball out of danger.
The biggest cheer of the first half came for a booking on DiCanio. He had just spent two minutes writhing around on the floor and the ref obviously thought he was faking it so tried unsuccessfully to get him to leave the field. (Would oneof our players doing the same get away with that? I think not.) Shortly after his temper still boiling he fell to the floor in an attempt to win another free-kick. The ref didn't fall for it though and booked the faking Italian. ;-)
I didn't look forward to the second half at all, with the wind as it was I thought we were in for a torrid time. I needn't have worried because despite Pressman just missing with a kick from his hands right at the start of the second period Wednesday didn't use the wind to its full. We came back at them Martin Bullock taking advantage of numerous opportunities to cause all sorts of problems, playing the full ninety and playing it well. From a throw in Ward received the ball and it somehow stuck to his chest and rolled down his body. He turned and shot at goal. 1-0 to the Barnsley.
By the time of the first goal Fjortoft had been brought on for Hendrie who despite having a number of good chances just couldn't find that extra yard of pace to bring himself clear. As always he ran his heart out for the side and had gone off to a good round of applause. Fjortoft has added an extra large force to the attack since his arrival. He's scored a number of vital goals and today popped up with another. He received the ball near the inside edge of the penalty spot and somehow shot the ball into Pieman's (Sorry Pressman's) bottom right hand corner. It just had the power to make it.
At 2-0 up we were cruising then the fans in the ORA came out with one of the best new chants i've heard in a while. At the end of the match against Wednesday in December all I can remember is the whole of the blue side of the crowd singing DiCanio's name to the tune of the seventies pop song by Ottawan, D-I-S-C-O. Changing it to D-I-CAN-E-O . Well the reds fans gave it a slight twist and came up with D-I-WAN-KEY-O. Brilliant.
Sadly we couldn't hang onto this two goal lead until the end of the game. Stehpanovic made a small amount of Wednesday pressure pay and struck a wonderful goal from outside the Barnsley area. Watson, once again as always recently had no chance. The poor lad plays well and still gets beat. It wasn't to be the start of another defeat in the last five minutes though as we held firm and won our tenth game of the season. That's 10 more than some were predicting at the beginning of the season!
Everton and Bolton win. Spurs, Newcastle and Palace lost so things tighten up again but we still don't get out of the bottom three. It's close difficult trek but with todays win we have given ourselves a chance to achieve the impossible. Bring on the Geordies.
Saturday 4th April 1998 : Leeds United 2(1) Barnsley 1(1)
Watson / Eaden, Morgan, Moses, Jones(Fjortoft), Barnard / Redfearn, Bosancic, Bullock(Marcelle) / Ward, Hristov (Sent Off)
How stupid can one man be?
The day started with all the hopes of a chance of redemption of the old enemy for the travesty of the match in November. From early on the scene for the game was set. Barnsley pushed back defending deep and cutting out chances with the last line in defence our former England under 21 keeper David Watson. During the game he made a number of brilliant saves which kept us in the game. By half time we should have been at least five down.
The only Leeds goal came from Hasselbank. The corner was floated in, a free header moved the ball back across goal and Hasselbank was on hand to nod the ball in from 3 yards in slow motion as Watson just couldn't move fast enough. But with no challenges who can blame him for the goal. Just where were the defenders. Fortunately for Barnsley he had left his shooting boots at home as he had a glorious chance to put Leeds two up soon after. Kewell made a terrific opening and crossed the ball passed Watson to Hasselbank clear with a gaping goal but he could only guide the ball back across goal and wide of the far post. "aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrhhhhh" as I sood up and showed my relief.
Just before the break it looked as if we were looking at a deficit then Hristov stepped up again for the second time in two games to score a goal and bring us back into the game. The cross was long and deep across the field and he took it on the volley and passed the despairing dive of Nigel Martyn. Brilliant control lad. At this point he seems to be looking better and better in every game infact in the last couple looking like our most dangerous player.
So at half time we were filled with renewed hope. Still though the best chances fell to Leeds and Watson equipped himself well again to stop many chances, the best in a one-on-one which had looked offside from our poor vantage point. Ward had a chance but couldn't find the power and Jones just couldn't get his foot above the ball and force it over the line. Then for the third time in a row we let in a late goal. At 80 minutes Leeds got a corner, no danger or so it appeared as the ball shot across and towards Moses, sadly he was unsighted for part of the ball flight and all he could do was duck his head and power the ball into the top corner. Watson had no chance. The only headed corner which I have seen to be more unstoppable was for Arry against Grimsby a couple of seasons ago.
So all was set for the last ten minutes of action and pressure for a goal to get back into it. On went Fjortoft for Jones and so a 4-3-3 may see us home. Sadly this wasn't to last to the end of the game. In what has to be said is one of the most stupid decisions Hristov has made since his arrival. He spoke out of turn to the Linesman after winning a throw in. The linesman flagged and the ref spoke to him then booked him. Then as he walked away from the ref he turned to the linesman and said something else. The linesman flagged again, the ref spoke again and sent him off. IDIOT! Just keep your gob shut lad. You don't play for one of the so called big clubs so you're not immune from punishment. The ball didn't seem to drop kindly for us after this and so we left disappointed.
Still it could have been worse I could have been sat in the rain. All that this result does though is make Saturday's derby game an absolute must win situation. So "COME ON YOU REDS" and do us proud.
