Norwood sent off in dismal defeat
0-1 After a very dull first quarter of an hour, Lincoln take the lead. Charles Vernam latches onto a crossfield ball on the right wing and, with Conor McCarthy and Clarke Oduor unable to close him down, whips in a good cross which Teddy Bishop turns in seven yards out. Bishop got between Jasper Moon and Will Hondermarck with Michael Duff later ruing Barnsley’s trait of not tracking runners for goals.
0-2 It is two goals in two minutes. Jack Walton clears up the field but, when a defender’s header sends the ball back into his half, he rushes out of his box. His attempted clearance goes straight to Bishop who finds the empty net from about 35 yards. 0-3 Lincoln get another deep in injury-time. A fine crossfield pass to the left wing is volleyed first time by Anthony Scully into the path of Jamie Robson who gets away from Hondermarck, advances into the box and crosses low for Jovon Makama to find the bottom right corner from close range.
But it was still a horrible moment for the goalkeeper who had been made captain for the night.
Walton has shown he is a good shot-stopper, and saved the club from relegation in 2020, but number one Brad Collins is clearly better at the moment in playing the ‘sweeper ‘keeper’ role the high-pressing Reds require of their goalies. Unlike Norwood, Walton stayed on the pitch and did his best to atone.
He tipped over a 15-yard shot by Charles Vernam then rushed out to make a fine block and deny Bishop a hat-trick, then made a fantastic point blank save from a volley by substitute Anthony Scully.
The back three of Jasper Moon, Robbie Cundy and Conor McCarthy left too much space at times for Lincoln’s attackers and were vulnerable to the many crosses put into the box by the visitors who had great success by switching play with crossfield balls to stretch the Reds. Left wing-back Oduor put some dangerous crosses into the box early on but also struggled to contain right winger Vernam, gifting him the ball for his first half chance.
Right wing-back Will Hondermarck could have tracked runners better for the first and third goals but at least caught the eye with a whole-hearted performance and some big tackles.
Matty Wolfe could not stamp his authority on the game, and the only time Duff was heard was when he shouted at the young midfielder for not closing down quickly enough, yelling ‘get out to him, Wolfie’.
He also missed the Reds’ only real chance – blazing high and wide of the gaping net on the turn 15 yards out after a scramble caused by a long Moon throw.
Wolfe had started alongside Herbie Kane who, returning from injury, came off after half an hour as planned. The last time Kane started at Oakwell was a rather different occasion, as the visitors were Premier League giants Chelsea in the FA Cup last year. Kane was replaced by Joe Ackroyd who added some energy and passion to the Reds, also in evidence from starting striker Aiden Marsh although he and quiet full debutant Slobodan Tedic barely had a chance to attack, especially after the red card. Duff gave debuts off the bench to teenagers Harrison Nejman, Hayden Pickard and Danny Benson, while handing a second opportunity to 16-year-old Fabio Jalo who provided probably the highlight of the night with a brilliant run past five defenders before being brought down. Duff praised the young players for ‘sticking together’ after being ‘thrown in to the mire’ – supported throughout from the dugout by vocal coaches Martin Paterson and Martin Devaney.
That is one of very few positives to take from a miserable evening, as well as the fact that it was not a league game and that, hopefully, Barnsley will give a much better performance when Lincoln return in the third tier in October.
Barnsley (3-4-3): Walton, mark out of ten: 6; McCarthy 6, Cundy 6, Moon 5 (Benson 74mins); Hondermarck 5, Kane 5, Wolfe 5 (Nejman 62), Oduor 5 (Pickard 62); Marsh 5, Tedic 5 (Jalo 74), Norwood 0. Unused: Collins, Ackroyd, Lancaster. Yellow cards: Hondermarck. Red cards: Norwood.
Lincoln (4-2-3-1): Wright; Walsh (Poole HT), O’Connor, Benn (Eyoma 77), Robson; Sorensen, Oakley, Boothe (Makama 77); Vernam, Bishop, Diamond (Scully 77); House (Gallagher 90mins). Unused: Rushworth, Roughan. Goals: Bishop 15, 17, Makama 90+3. Attendance: 3,121.
Referee: Martin Woods (Lancashire).