Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
SIBBICK READY FOR TYKE OFF WITH ISMAEL
Palmer happy to grab a goal and a win.. even if his little boy thinks he still plays for Swans
BARNSLEY
Woodrow 2, Helik 59 MILLWALL
Bennett 6
TOBY SIBBICK credited Valerien Ismael for restoring his confidence after Barnsley stepped up their play-off bid.
The 21-year-old came on as a second-half substitute, as Michal Helik fired home a fierce volley (above) to give the Yorkshire side their fifth straight win.
It has been an astonishing transformation under manager Ismael with the Tykes now a point off sixth-placed Bournemouth with a game in hand.
Sibbick had loan spells at
Hearts and KV Oostende in the Belgian Pro League before returning to Oakwell, and the defender said: “He (Ismael) gives confidence to all the players.
“When we step out on the pitch, he gives us the belief we can go out and beat anyone. And that’s exactly how we feel right now.”
Barnsley had to battle after Cauley Woodrow and Mason Bennett exchanged goals in the first six minutes, and up next is a trip to QPR on Wednesday.
Sibbick added: “If we just focus on ourselves, who knows what can happen?”
Defeat ended Millwall’s ninegame unbeaten League run and leaves them 12th in the table ahead of a home game with Preston tomorrow.
Manager Gary Rowett, who insisted Woodrow’s opening goal was offside, said: “To keep a run like that going you’ve got to be perfect every week, and we certainly weren’t.
“We’ve got to go again. We’ve got to kick on, dig in and see if we can go on another run.
“We’re pleased with where we are but just need a little bit more.” BARNSLEY: Collins 7, Sollbauer 6 (Sibbick 45, 7), Helik 8, Andersen 7, Brittain 7, Palmer 6 (Halme 45, 7), Mowatt 8, Styles 7 (Williams 81), Woodrow 7 (Frieser 90), Dike 7 (Adeboyejo 75, 6), Morris 7 MILLWALL: Bialkowski 7, Hutchinson 6, Pearce 6 (Bodvarsson 85), Evans 6, Romeo 7, Woods 6, Thompson 6 (Smith 75, 6) Malone 7, J Wallace 6 (Bradshaw 90), Bennett 7 (Burey
85) Williams 6 (Ferguson 85)
KASEY PALMER became the Bristol City hero – even though his four-year-old son Leo is not quite sure what team dad is playing for.
Palmer began the season at Ashton Gate before switching to Swansea on loan.
Now back with his parent club, he scored the key second goal direct from a corner as Nigel Pearson’s side earned this brilliant comeback win.
Palmer had Leo in a Bristol City kit before getting him a Swansea strip when he moved on loan and admits Leo is struggling to keep up.
“My little boy can’t transition from Swansea back to Bristol City,” said Palmer after the Robins gave new manager Pearson the perfect start in his first game in charge.
“He’s got the full Swansea kit. He doesn’t quite get that I have gone back to Bristol.
“Plus he is Jamal Lowe’s biggest fan. I can’t tell him, ‘Don’t like Swansea, like Bristol.’ He is somewhere in between the two.”
The former Chelsea youngster gave away a penalty before his vital goal to make it 2-1. Palmer, 24, was a frustrated figure during his time at the Liberty Stadium because although he made 12 appearances, 10 of them were from off the bench.
He said: “Everything was perfect except the game-time. There was that bit within me that wanted to come and prove a point, but more importantly for the team to win.”
After seven straight defeats, Pearson’s side have gained back-toback away wins although the victory at Middlesbrough was before his brogues were officially under the desk.
They fell behind to Andre Ayew’s penalty but hit back through Nahki Wells, Palmer and Antoine Semenyo. The defeat leaves Swansea needing to win their two games in hand to keep pace with Norwich and Brentford in the top two.
Boss Steve Cooper admitted keeper Freddie Woodman was at fault for two goals but said: “Freddie’s been brilliant for us, so we just have to get back into training and get ready for the next one.” SWANSEA: Woodman 5, Latibeaudiere 6 (Whittaker 83), Cabango 6, Guehi 6, Roberts 7, Grimes 7, Hourihane 5 (Arriola 81), Dhanda 6 (Fulton 78, 5), Bidwell 6, Ayew 6, Lowe 6.
BRISTOL CITY: Bentley 8, Vyner 6, Mariappa 8, Kalas 7, Hunt 7, Palmer 8 (Semenyo 89), Bakinson 7, Nagy 7 (Massengo 90), Towler 5 (Sessegnon
45, 7), Diedhiou 6, Wells 7.
NEIL WARNOCK teased Mick Mccarthy after his direct tactics earned Cardiff a point.
And Warnock should know what he is talking about as he was the Cardiff manager who received stick for the same reason when he led the Bluebirds into the Premier League in 2018.
The direct approach has served both Warnock and Mccarthy well – Cardiff ’s opener at the Riverside came from a long Will Vaulks throw-in that skipper Sean Morrison glanced home.
But Warnock, whose association with Mccarthy goes back to their time as players at Barnsley in the 1970s, ended his old pal’s six-match winning run when Paddy Mcnair grabbed an equaliser late on (below).
Cardiff were 15th and 13 points off the top six when Mccarthy was appointed Neil Harris’s successor just over five weeks ago.
And, though they slipped from sixth to eighth on Saturday, Warnock saluted the “unbelievable” job Mccarthy has done.
The Middlesbrough boss (with Mccarthy, below) said: “I told Mick when he got it that it’s a great job. He won’t have a set of players like this again. He’s probably tainted the tactics a bit more but why worry? They were mid-table and all of a sudden they have a chance of getting promoted. I remember him sticking up for me when I was at Cardiff, and someone had a go at the way I played. Mick said that you should play the way that suits your team.
The results he has got are unbelievable. But Mick’s not daft, he knows he was fortunate to get a point.”
Boro bossed the game but Morrison netted for the second successive match in the 37th minute of an encounter Mccarthy labelled “probably one of the worst” he had seen.
He remains unbeaten in nine games as Cardiff boss, however, and praised goal hero Morrison, saying: “Sean has been great for a lot of years.
“I was delighted when I got the chance to work with him because I’ve always admired the way he plays, the way he leads the team.
“When I took the team after we’d been beaten a few times, we needed some inspiration. He’s given us that.”
But Warnock’s substitutions paid off as three of them – Neeskens Kebano, Djed Spence and Chuba Akpom – figured when Mcnair levelled eight minutes from time with his first Middlesbrough goal this season.
MIDDLESBROUGH: Bettinelli 6, Dijksteel 6, Hall 6, Fry 6, Mcnair 7, Mendez-laing 5 (Kebano 71, 6), Tavernier 7, Howson 5, Bola 5 (Johnson 71, 5), Assombalonga 5 (Akpom 81), Watmore 6 (Spence 81)
CARDIFF: Phillips 7, Morrison 8, Flint 6, Nelson 7, Ng 5, Vaulks 6 (Ralls 67, 5), Pack 5, Bennett 6, Wilson 6 (Bacuna 67, 5), Moore 5, Murphy 6 (Ojo 61, 5)
MOTM SEAN MORRISON