Barnsley battle adversity to collect impressive point
THIS was Barnsley’s first away point of the season and it is highly unlikely that they will work harder for another throughout this campaign.
The Reds had been beaten in 16 of their previous 19 away league games, including both this season, and were in front of a crowd of almost 25,000 very noisy home fans. They followed up a terrible home loss to Wycombe with a tough midweek cup trip to Leeds then the long journey to Suffolk to face the unbeaten leaders who had not played for a week and had spent millions over the summer.
Barnsley saw two players limp off in the first half – including in-form Josh Benson – as their already light squad was stretched to its limits.
They fell behind twice as Conor Chaplin was the latest player to net a long-range stunner against them while his fellow ex-Red Sam Morsy’s goal continued a more worrying habit of Barnsley not tracking midfield runners.
But they also equalised twice, showing far greater resilience than a week before when Duff said they ‘absolutely buckled’ after Wycombe took the lead at Oakwell.
The Reds wore the logo of sponsors Rapid Response on the front of their shirts and that was exactly what they provided to each goal, levelling after six minutes for 1-1 then five for 2-2.
They then showed great heart and desire to hang on towards the end as Ipswich dominated, especially in a surprising eight minutes of added time – with Brad Collins sensational in goal.
Town – who were furious about a disallowed goal at 2-1 – will feel they should have won comfortably, as they were on top for most of the game, but will probably not be drawn into a scrap like that by many teams this season.
The Reds will want to control games more in the future but, in the circumstances, it was a unified Barnsley performance in which everyone contributed. The left-footed Clarke Oduor epitomised the effort with a decent performance out of position at right wing-back as a substitute.
The visitors could even have won it had they taken their chances at 1-1 but a point at one of the favourites from promotion is a creditable outcome.
The identity of the scorers was also pleasing – with two of the smallest players on the pitch, Jack Aitchison and Callum Styles, netting headers.
The first leveller may well have been Aitchison’s first ever header for Barnsley.
He has lost all 16 of his aerial duels this season while he admitted he had not scored with his head since under 15 level and couldn’t remember the last time he headed the ball.
It was a fine finish and a good reward for his hard work this season in which he has been unlucky not to score while playing up front despite being an attacking midfielder.
The second equaliser was another header by Styles who, until that point, had had a very poor game with Duff saying he had ‘a lot going on in his life’ – referring at least partly to persistent rumours of a move away. The left wing-back was beaten in the build-up to both goals, although certainly not the only player at fault, and was given a torrid time by Ipswich’s right-winger Wes Burns.
Styles could have put the Reds in front just after the break when played in by Jordan Williams on the left of the box but his 15-yard effort was wellsaved by Christian Walton diving to his left.
But he kept going and scored a powerful header to earn a point, while he also made more interceptions than any player.
It was a second set piece goal in four days and that could be a very useful weapon this season after Barnsley barely threatened from dead balls last campaign.
They may also need to rely at times on goalkeeper Collins who, after a slightly sloppy start to the season, was back in super hero mode on Saturday.
He could do nothing about either goal and made some fine saves. Collins dived down to his left to push away a 15-yard shot by Leif Davis then brilliantly tackled Freddie Ladapo in the six-yard box and tipped over a powerful volley Burns on the right of the box.
After watching George Edmundson head against his right post in the 93rd minute, Collins made a magnificent save in the 98th, leaping to his right to keep out a header by Kane Vincent-Young.
Even after that, in the 99th minute, Sone Aluko’s volley beat Collins but was cleared off the line by captain Mads Andersen, who was also heroic at the back. He made the most clearances while also winning the most headers.
Andersen should have put Barnsley 2-1 up but turned a Luca Connell corner just wide five yards out with his upper right leg. That was during a good Reds spell which also saw Oduor hit the side netting from a tight angle on the right of the box.
Liam Kitching again was solid, although his heart would have been in his mouth minutes after the 2-1 goal when home substitute Marcus Harness wrestled him to go clean through and scored one-on-one but the referee saw a foul. Replays showed Harness pulled Kitching’s shirt.
Williams was the third centre-back, playing on the right in place of the benched Robbie Cundy, with Andersen moving into the middle.
That was to provide more pace at the back to keep up with Ipswich’s fast forwards and allow the Reds to push on as a unit and press aggressively.
It worked in general as the back three had enough speed and positional awareness to deal with the regular balls played over them.
But Williams lost out in the air for some of the hosts’ late chances – as Duff would surely have brought on Cundy had he not used his three substitution slots.
Williams’ move meant Jordan Helliwell made his third league start, at right wing-back – a reward for solid performances in the cup at Middlesbrough and Leeds. The 20-year-old has 1-0 Wes Burns cuts in from the right wing around Callum Styles then is tripped by Luca Connell.
Former Barnsley striker Conor Chaplin brilliantly curls the freekick into the top left corner past close friend Brad Collins.
1-1 Josh Benson’s free-kick hits the wall then Luke Thomas and Clarke Oduor swap passes on the right wing before teeing up Connell to cross. Jack Aitchison stoops eight yards out to head into the bottom right corner for his first Barnsley goal.
2-1 From the home goalkeeper’s kick, Styles loses a header on the touchline near halfway to Freddie Ladapo and the Reds’ left side is open for Chaplin to play Burns into space.
He crosses low for ex-Red Sam Morsy to fire into the bottom left corner eight yards out. Morsy’s run had not been tracked by Matty Wolfe.
2-2 The home defenders are focused on tracking the likes of Liam Kitching and Mads Andersen but leave the much smaller Styles unmarked from Connell’s left-wing corner.
He heads into the top right corner from about 12 yards for his first goal of the season.
only played a handful of senior games but they include starts at West Brom – in central midfield on the final day of last season – Leeds and now Ipswich in front of more than 25,000 fans.
The injury, which forced him off after just 16 minutes, is frustrating but he has come a long way since he was expected to be released in April.
As well as Helliwell, Benson limped off in the first half. To lose their best attacker so far this season was a big blow but the Reds still created chances in his absence while Matty Wolfe was a willing replacement off the bench although partly at fault for the second goal. He worked hard alongside Connell who impressed with two assists and was unlucky not to make it a hat-trick.
Luke Thomas had another quiet match back at the club where he cut a loan short last year due to mental health issues, while Devante Cole struggled to make an impression after a big 90-minute shift at Premier League Leeds four days earlier.
They were replaced just after the hour by James Norwood – who made little impact other than being booked for diving near his box – and league debutant Slobodan Tedic who did not have the same effect as at Leeds.
But the Reds still managed two goals and collected a precious away point.
Barnsley (3-4-1-2): Collins, mark out of ten, 8; Williams 7, Andersen 7, Kitching 7; Helliwell (Oduor 16mins, 6), Connell 7, Benson 6 (Wolfe 41, 5) Styles 6; Thomas 5; Cole 5 (Tedic 65), Aitchison 7 (Norwood 65). Unused: Walton, Norwood, Cundy.
Yellow cards: Styles, Wolfe, Norwood, Andersen.
Goals: Aitchison 33, Styles 75.
Ipswich (4-3-3): Walton; Donacien, Woolfenden, Edmundson, Davis (Vincent-Young 67mins); Burns, Evans, Morsy; Chaplin (Aluko 86), JohnJules (Harness 67), Ladapo (Jackson 67). Unused: Hladky, Burgess, Ball. Yellow cards: Edmundson, Chaplin. Goals: Chaplin 27, Morsy 70.
Referee: Stephen Martin (Staffordshire).
Attendance: 25,001 (638 from Barnsley).
JAMES Norwood’s decision to thrust his forearm violently into the face of Lincoln’s Jay Benn in the 23rd minute was ridiculous in any circumstances – but becomes even more inexplicable in the context of who was watching and why he was signed by Barnsley this summer.
The striker was just a few metres from six substitutes aged 20 or younger who had been put on the bench to gain experience, while the team was littered with other youngsters for this first of three EFL Trophy group games. Norwood was brought in to score goals but also to show the very young squad ‘what elite looks like’ while adding experience, leadership and knowhow as a seasoned professional.
He has so far not looked close to doing the goals part – missing a fine chance early on when Clarke Oduor was gifted the ball and found Norwood in the box but his terrible first touch was cleared.
And he certainly did not provide a good example with that red card, which boss Michael Duff called ‘idiotic’ and ‘unacceptable’ while saying Norwood let his team-mates down.
It happened about 20 metres away from chief executive Khaled El-Ahmad, part of the board who had tweaked their usual rules of only signing players aged 25 or younger to recruit the 31-year-old after the squad was far too young last season.
Two rows further back was Duff, whose plan to get a different perspective of the formation and players from the West Stand was scuppered when they went down to ten men. El-Ahmad and Duff had a conversation after the match and, while transfers will likely have been discussed with 48 hours left in the window, their thoughts on Norwood must also have been expressed.
One of the reasons Barnsley have not signed many experienced players recently, is that the ‘wrong ones’ can be a disruptive and cynical influence for youngsters. There is no evidence that is the case with Norwood and it is too early to completely write him off as a failed experiment, while his lack of impact on the pitch might be partly explained by missing weeks of pre-season after signing late. But his Barnsley career has had a very poor start and, on Tuesday especially, he did the exact opposite of what he was brought in for. It must be said that it was already 2-0 when he was sent off – after a two-minute double by his former Ipswich colleague Teddy Bishop – but the dismissal left his young team with no realistic chance of replying or even of developing their game.
It then became a test of character for ten men – or boys – across 70 minutes or, as Duff said, ‘trying not to get thrashed.’
After the league loss to Wycombe by the same score, the Reds have lost back-to-back home games by three goals for the first time since 1971.
This was a game in a secondary competition, always a small part of a massive week for the club with more important league games at high-flying Ipswich and Sheffield Wednesday as well as the transfer deadline. But Duff had spoken about ‘building a culture’ and demanding the same standards from the players no matter what the competition or who was involved. He can take some comfort from how hard the ten men worked but, overall, the standards substantially dropped.
Barnsley did not have a shot on target, and only a handful of what could realistically be called ‘attacks’ while their visitors dominated the ball all evening and should have won by more.
Duff made 11 changes from the last league game – compared to six for Lincoln – and eight had not started in League One this season. But all the starters were members of the first team squad – many of them relatively experienced. Although a terrible seven minutes, with two goals and a red card, put the team in a very difficult situation – none of the starters gave the type of performance that will boost their claims for a league start. Whereas Norwood’s moment of madness was inexplicable and violent, Jack Walton’s error for the second goal was deemed ‘an honest mistake which I can handle’ by Duff.