Schmidt kick-starts Tykes party
GERHARD Struber plans a Christmas party following Barnsley’s win over Millwall that he described as being “good for the soul”.
The win not only boosted the Tykes’ spirits, but also provided a much-needed boon to their points tally – as they climbed off the bottom of the Championship table.
Patrick Schmidt’s injurytime header sent the visiting fans wild and handed Millwall a rare home loss, after Aiden O’Brien looked to have snatched a point five minutes from time when he cancelled out Conor Chaplin’s deft firsthalf strike.
Struber was keen to highlight just how pivotal Schmidt’s goal could be in the context of the relegation fight as Barnsley won away for the first time this season.
“It’s a very, very important victory, it’s good for our soul, for our mind, and for our selfconfidence,” said the Austrian. “In the first half we had some problems on the ball, our positioning was not clear and we gave away simple balls.
“But on the counter-attack we are very efficient and this is a big strength. In the second half we had more control of the ball and that was the key – the opponents had no control of the game.
“After the equaliser, we had the mentality to win and this is a special moment for me, for the whole club. We’ll have a merry Christmas!”
Millwall dominated the early stages, but couldn’t create clear-cut chances against a resolute Tykes defence.
All of the home side’s best chances in the first half fell to centre-half Jake Cooper – a constant threat from setpieces. First the big defender was inches away from meeting a cross with the goal gaping, and then twice he got on the end of Jed Wallace deliveries, only to head wide.
Barnsley began to grow in confidence as the first half went on and took the lead.
Chaplin beautifully diverted Jacob Brown’s cross over Bartosz Bialkowski and into the far corner of the net.
Millwall finally began to provide a response around the hour mark.
Cooper went close from a corner, diverting Shane Ferguson’s delivery into the ground and then up and over the bar.
Still, they failed to test Samuel Radlinger with a single shot on target until the final five minutes, when substitutes Matt Smith and O’Brien combined to level the scores – O’Brien heading in from close range.
That ought to have been enough to earn the hosts a point, but they failed to clear a late corner and Schmidt found the space to head home a dramatic winner.
Lions manager Gary Rowett cut a frustrated figure at the end of the game.
“I’m disappointed,” he said. “The way the game ends you’re always going to be frustrated and annoyed.
“Their winner is a little bit of naivety from us, not quite doing the right job in the right area. It’s still a good header, but it shouldn’t come to that.
“I felt as though we’ve thrown a point away and that’s our frustration.”