Ismael fires up a Barnsley revival

BATTLING Barnsley are proving themselves brilliant disruptors of the Championship’s cosy upper echelons.

A run of 11 undefeated league games has propelled this unfashionable side into the play-off places and now they have the luxury of a five-point cushion to seventh.

We all expected Norwich, Watford, Swansea and Brentford to be challenging for promotion to the Premier League. Reading less so. Barnsley? No chance.

Bournemouth were heavily fancied, too, and they’ve been in the top six the majority of the season. Barnsley have zoomed past them in recent weeks.

Valerien Ismael’s side employ a ferocious press and roared back from behind to win here. Dreams of a first season in the big time since 1997-98 and only a second top-flight campaign in their history grow ever more vivid.

Their winner, 10 minutes from time, saw Carlton Morris show the greatest desire inside a crowded penalty box to leap and head Alex Mowatt’s free- kick into the top corner.

Ismael admitted to raising his voice during his half-time remarks

READING boss Veljko Paunovic said he was disappointed to take only a point from the City Ground.

Sub Yakou Meite earned Reading a point with an 81stminute equaliser, which cancelled out an own goal from Tom Holmes.

‘I am happy with the attitude, but I am not happy with the draw,’ Paunovic said.

Forest boss Chris Hughton said: ‘The question is whether we can go and win these games — that is the next part for us.’

UNDER-FIRE Birmingham head coach Aitor Karanka insists he will not resign after watching his side lose to Bristol City.

‘In my career I never gave up and here isn’t going to be the first place,’ Karanka said.

The hosts’ striker Scott Hogan hit the post twice before Kasey Palmer gave the visitors the lead.

Antoine Semenyo then charged down Neil Etheridge’s clearance to make it 2-0, and Callum O’Dowda wrapped up the points. at 2-1 behind and his team were superb in the second half.

‘We had killed our work and we needed to do something,’ said Ismael. ‘We are not travelling 10 hours to lose the game. The mentality, the desire and the conviction in the second half was brilliant.

‘But it’s only a moment, it’s the Championship and it goes quickly. We are more than proud but it’s about coming over the line.’

They were second best early on but led when Michal Helik fired home after a smart set-piece routine which saw Mads Andersen flick on a Mowatt corner.

Bournemouth were soon level — Arnaut Danjuma rounding off a break that started when keeper Asmir Begovic hurled the ball out to Junior Stanislas. And they led in first-half stoppage time as Dominic Solanke converted Danjuma’s cross from the left.

But Barnsley were much better after the break and made it 2- 2 when Dominik Frieser turned home Cauley Woodrow’s cut-back, before Morris won it.

‘It was a chalk and cheese performance,’ said Bournemouth boss Jonathan Woodgate. ‘The game is not for 45 minutes, it’s for 90. It was like watching two different teams, the contrast was huge.’

NEIL WARNOCK is determined to keep his Middlesbrough side in the play-off picture after their much-needed win over Stoke.

First-half goals from Grant Hall and Paddy McNair, plus a late strike from sub Nathaniel MendezLaing sealed the points, and Warnock said: ‘We had to win today. We just have 10 games left and we have to win every game; try to win every game.’

Stoke boss Michael O’Neill, whose side slipped to 11th and five points behind their opponents, said: ‘I’m extremely disappointed with the result. I thought we controlled parts of the game.’

QPR manager Mark Warburton admitted a first-half miss by Todd Kane was costly.

Kane shot straight at keeper Ryan Schofield after being teed up by Ilias Chair.

Juninho Bacuna, on the other hand, clinically fired home the winner in the second half, and Warburton said: ‘You need to get rewards and we didn’t.

‘We missed a big chance.’

WATFORD head coach Xisco Munoz called for calm after Adam Masina’s last gasp freekick sparked wild celebrations at Cardiff City Stadium.

The winner propelled the visitors into the automatic promotion places and ended Mick McCarthy’s 11-game unbeaten run as Cardiff boss.

‘The emotion was top on the pitch. but now we need calm,’ said Xisco. Francisco Sierralta had given Cardiff the lead, while captain Nathan Chalobah levelled for Watford.

NATHAN JONES felt poor decision-making from both his Luton players and the officials were to blame for their defeat to Swansea. The hosts conceded the only goal after three minutes when they failed to defend a long ball for Conor Hourihane to score his fifth goal since arriving on loan from Aston Villa.

Town then had two penalty appeals turned down by referee Darren Bond, and Jones said: ‘We had two penalties that should have been penalties, and then so many situations where we should have done better with.’

City boss Steve Cooper added: ‘It was a really tough game.’

WAYNE ROONEY has challenged his Derby forwards to show more desire.

Derby had 70 per cent possession, but created few chances and failed to score for the fourth game in a row.

‘In the penalty area, both for their goal and for us trying to score, we were poor,’ Rooney said. ‘For the attacking players, they have to want to score.’

Shaun Hutchinson scored the only goal for Millwall, whose manager Gary Rowett added: ‘We did what we had to do.’ GARETH AINSWORTH believes a vital victory over Preston has added to his Wycombe side’s ‘genuine belief’ that they can secure survival. Ryan Tafazolli’s header was enough to seal a sixth league win of the season.

‘They all believe we can stay up,” he said. ‘We’re only nine points off Birmingham but we’re not even looking at Birmingham.’

Disappointed Preston boss Alex Neil said: ‘We lacked any real fight to get into the game.’