Tykes glad of a Quina
PORTUGUESE playmaker Domingos Quina ended basement boys Barnsley’s dismal 13-game winless run.
The Watford loan ace scored a screamer as the terrific Tykes avoided a seventh straight loss and secured their first league win for nearly four months.
Manager Poya Asbaghi had not won any of his 11 games in charge so a priceless victory at Oakwell was understandably sweet to savour.
“Finally, three points,” said Asbaghi, the Tykes’ Swedish-Iranian boss.
“It’s going to lift the whole team at a decisive point in the season.
“It was a good performance, we really deserved the victory. Hopefully we take a lot of confidence from this win.
“We haven’t been in the lead yet, but we were mature to see the game out, which made me really happy.”
Barnsley had not won in the league since beating Derby County 2-1 way back on November 3. But the
South Yorkshire outfit were the better side against opponents pushing to break into the automatic places.
It took Quina’s blistering left-foot strike to finally gives their disgruntled supporters something to smile about.
The hosts broke a club record as they changed their starting line-up for a 25th successive game.
But Carlton Morris forced a good low save from Hoops keeper David Marshall early on, before Josh Benson rifled over.
Keeper Brad Collins thwarted Lee Wallace from an acute angle, while at the other end Amine Bassi and Claudio Gomes both blasted wide.
Defender Lee Wallace lashed into side netting for the Hoops, but Callum Styles shot just wide for the home side.
And it was the Tykes who shocked their opponents when 22-year-old Quina left Marshall no chance from distance. It was the club’s first goal at Oakwell for more than two months.
The visitors came within a whisker of snatching a last-gasp equaliser but striker Lyndon Dykes frustratingly headed wide.
Hoops boss Mark Warburton said: “We were playing against a side who were fighting for their lives and scrapping for everything, but didn’t do enough – simple as that.
“It’s the first time we’ve not scored on the road this season, unfortunately we weren’t good enough.
“We didn’t take care of the football, we had no fluidity and we didn’t hurt them. We had to show more quality.”
Collins 6; Williams 7, Helik 7, Andersen 7; Gomes 7; Styles 7, Benson 6 (Palmer 69, 5), Quina 8 (Cole 81), Vita 7; Morris 6, Bassi 7.
Subs not used: Walton, Moon, Hondermarck, Halme, Wolfe.
QPR: Marshall 6; Dickie 6, Dunne 6, Barbet 6; Odubajo 6, Hendrick 6 (Johansen 62, 5), Field 6, Wallace 6 (Adomah 67, 5); Chair 6; Gray 6 (Austin 62, 5), Dykes 6.
Subs not used: Dieng, Sanderson, Amos, Thomas.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Domingos Quina. The Watford loan playmaker bagged his first goal for a priceless win.
REFEREE: Michael Salisbury 7.