The Reds showed everything required of them in a South Yorkshire derby: Determination, passion, endeavour and sheer grit helped them surge past a decent Doncaster Rovers outfit.
One change was made to the Red’s starting line-up from the midweek defeat at Portman Road, Maceo Rigters replaced Jon Macken up-front.
After a relatively quiet opening to the game, the visitors had a shout for a penalty turned down. Darren Moore was underneath a long ball and knocked Lewis guy over in the box, there were some quiet shouts but the stand-in referee, Steve Tanner, allowed play-on.
The first real chance came for the Reds through Iain Hume on six minutes. Hume was put through one on one with Sullivan after a great throughball from Rigters, the angle proved too tight for the Canadian whose shot was blocked by Sullivan.
The Rovers fans were in raptures on 8 minutes as they thought Lewis Guy had broken the deadlock, the linesman’s flag however, was hoisted well before the ball hit the net.
The referee did eventually point to the spot for the away side with ten minutes on the watch. The referee adjudged Dennis Souza to have shoved Lewis Guy over in the box. Up stepped Brian Stock to put the ball home, Muller was close but couldn’t quite reach the well struck penalty to his right.
Doncaster were living up to their reputation of a footballing side as they kept the ball well in the middle of the park after their opening goal.
Dennis Souza was booked for slamming the ball down in anger after being penalised for an apparent shove on Gareth Taylor.
The game lost its fluency as the Reds looked increasingly frustrated with their lack of creativity as the crowd died down.
The only half chance for the Reds saw Diego Leon fire wide from 40-yards just before the half hour mark but Sullivan wasn’t troubled.
Heinz Muller was at his best as he flung himself acorss goal to tip over a Martin Woods curler. The resulting corner eventually found its way to the safety of Muller’s gloves.
Rob Kozluk forced a neat save from Sullivan on 33 minutes, the Reds worked the ball well to set the full-back up from 20-yards.
Darren Moore came to the rescue as he headed clear a teasing O’connor cross – Rovers looked certain to double their advantage but for the Jamican.
A quick break from the Reds ended in disappointing fashion, a tame Rigters shot trickled wide as Barnsley threatened the Rovers defence.
Sullivan pulled off a brilliant save on 39 minutes, tipping away a Souza header at full stretch to the top right corner.
.The Reds were pushing in the closing stages of the first half but failed to create a clear-cut chance.
One minute of stoppage time was added as a light rain sprinkled over Oakwell.
Second half.
The visitors were probing straight from the off and Muller got lucky within two minutes of the restart as the German dropped a tame shot but managed to scramble on top of the rebound.
Then came a blessing in disguise for Barnsley as Moore was sent for an early bath for dragging back Lewis Guy who was clean through on goal. Who would have thought such a blow could fire the Reds up, but it certainly did.
Despite being down to ten men, Barnsley boss Simon Davey decided to keep two up-front with a backline of three defenders.
511 minutes had passed since the Reds hade scored thanks to Stephen Foster and who would stand up to break the drought? Captain Stephen Foster. Kozluk floated in a free-kick and Dennis Souza nodded back for Foster to head home from 6-yards. Sullivan was helpless as the balll trickled into the bottom right-hand corner.
The home fanas were finally alive and so were Barnsley, the passion was finally showing.
Jamal Campbell-Ryce then took matters into his own hands, running no less than 80-yards with the ball and skinning three Donny defenders before curling past Sullivan into the left-hand corner. The Barnsley faithful went barmy – having being starved of a single goal in over 500 minutes, two came along in such a short space of time.
The Reds eventually went to a back four with Bobby Hassell replacing Diego Leon. Hassell slotted in at right back, with Foster and Souza as the two centre halfs.
The Red storm had settled with 25 minutes to go but Barnsley were looking genuinley more hungry than ever.
Some phenomenal play from the Reds saw Rigters slice wide but the Tykes were showing great bite and were keeping the ball terifically well despite being a man down.
Jon Macken was then introduced for Maceo RIgters, the Dutchman did well after coming back from his niggling hamstring injury.
Macken’s first touch was indeed a moment to savour. Adding a third to send the Barnsley fans ballistic. Great play from the ever-lively Campbell-Ryce on the left brought fear into the eyes of the Donny defenders. The little Jamaican found Devaney on the edge of the box whose shot was parried by Sullivan but Jon Macken was there to tuck home with his first touch in front of the Ponty End – and boy did he enjoy it!
The next chance for the visitors saw Muller deny James Coppinger in the 79th minute after Rovers knocked the ball around on the edge of the box.
Kozluk powered forward on the left wing to have another rare pop at goal, his shot went just over Sullivan’s bar.
The Reds looked as though they were playing with 12 men let alone 10, and Iain Hume curled in the fourth to cap off a rollercoaster of an afternoon. Anderson de Silva broke from halfway, and Hume dropped short to hold up the ball. Rovers allowed Hume time and space and the Canadian made good use as he planted a peach of a shot into Sullivan’s top left hand corner from 25-yards.
Heinz Muller denied substitue Darren Byfield a certain goal as the ball dropped for the former Bristol City man 10-yards out. Muller blocked the initial shot and managed to pounce on the loose rebound.
It was indeed a game of two halves, the Reds were poor in the first but excellent in the second – showing everything a team needs in a South Yorkshire Derby.
Attendance: 15,086
Away Supporters: 3,338
Barnsley: Muller, Foster, Moore (S/O 50), Souza, Kozluk, Campbell-Ryce, Leon (61), Anderson, Devaney, Rigters (72), Hume (86).
Subs: Steele, Macken (72), Odejayi, Hassell (61), Noble-Lazarus (86).
Doncaster Rovers: Sullivan, O’Connor, Lockwood, Guy, Mills, Taylor (75), Coppinger, Woods (76), Stock, Wellens, Roberts.
Subs: Hayter (76), Wilson, Byfield (75), Chambers, Hird.
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great come back……..
That’s the answer, play with 10 men!!!