Tomlin pulls out a rabbit
LEE TOMLIN earned the label “magic man” from his manager Neil Harris after he conjured a stunning 95th-minute winner.
The Bluebirds forward – who divides opinion among managers, but rarely among fans – had already produced something from his box of tricks when he sliced open Barnsley’s defence to set up Danny Ward for an equaliser.
It looked as if Harris and Cardiff might have to settle for a point until deep into stoppage time when Tomlin volleyed a ball dropping from the skies into the bottom left-hand corner.
The turnaround – after Barnsley had led 2-1 – means Harris has taken 10 points from four games since succeeding Neil Warnock, propelling Cardiff to the edge of the play-offs with plenty of momentum.
“When you’ve got a magic man like Lee Tomlin, you stay in games and you’ve got a player who, in any moment, can win it,” said Harris. “He’s got a big heart, he wants to play for me and wants to do well for Cardiff. The fans love him and that goes a long way to give confidence to a player.
“He’s got the quality to open up a defence with a pass, like for Danny’s goal, or he’s got the quality to hit a ball dropping from high into the bottom corner.”
Harris is shrewd enough to know Cardiff must play far better than the hesitant and half-paced first hour if their surge is to continue.
They may be bottom but Barnsley were slicker and smarter and deserved their lead through goals from the impressive Conor Chaplin and Bambo Diaby.
The first came early on when Chaplin got behind Cardiff’s defence and although Aden Flint got his toe to a cross which was deflected in by Diaby to make it 1-1, the Tykes went ahead again soon after the break.
This time Chaplin hit a cross too hard for any deliberate touches, but it struck Diaby in the midriff and flew in, with Lee Peltier looking to have got the final touch.
Harris sent on Ward for the ineffective Gary Madine and the wisdom of that switch was clear when the striker latched onto
Tomlin’s through ball to clip in a second Cardiff leveller.
Then, came Tomlin’s classiest moment with a composed finish in the sixth minute of added time to leave Barnsley boss Gerhard Struber still bottom and distraught.
“The feeling now is like being hit in the head – I’m very frustrated,” he said.