This win against Barnsley was our most uncharacteristic 3 points of the season so far. But it’s the sort of win that promoted sides get throughout a campaign.
Just a few days earlier, the club posted a video on social media from the dressing room following our 2-0 victory against Stockport. In that game, Blues had to do a lot of defending and play direct in the second half as Stockport pressed high successfully and chased a way back into the game. Davies addressed the players post match, and part of his message was about doing the physical part of the game to become “a proper team”. I’ll slightly paraphrase and censor his speech below:
“Defensively, the spirit, the heart, the fight, bouncing balls I said they’ve got to be a blue head, a blue foot and it was. So we’re showing we’re a proper team now, we play football, but we’re there for the fight as well. And that’s going to be the difference for us from being here [mimes at head] to being the team we want to be [mimes above head].”
In the strong winds and rain of Storm Darragh away to Barnsley, a direct and physical team, we had to show that element of our game again and fight to come from behind to get the victory.
Adversity came early, with Alex Cochrane picking up a nasty looking injury within 5 minutes after being on the receiving end of a rough tackle. Cochrane was stretchered off and looked in good spirits as he applauded the serenading 5,000 travelling Bluenoses. We all hope his injury isn’t too serious as he has been one of our best players this season. However, this left Blues in a predicament without Lee Buchanan back to full fitness, we had no other natural left backs on the bench. Ethan Laird shifted across to the left to cover, and Taylor Gardner-Hickman came off the bench to take up Laird’s vacated role.
The game had few chances overall, conditions playing a factor for both sides, but Blues struggled to get into our usual rhythm throughout the game. Blues had adopted a more structured 3 at the back shape, rather than the hybrid 4 at the back we’ve seen throughout the season, presumably to match up with Barnsley’s. The first half was very even and resulted in minimal moments of excitement.
Stansfield found himself in behind the defence on the halfway line, and was looking to get a shot away before Barnsley’s Georgie Gent recovered well and put a strong tackle in to deny a shooting chance. Laird found himself in the 6 yard box on the end of a May cross, but couldn’t get enough power or direction on his header to fire past the goalkeeper.
Barnsley had a penalty shout waved away by the referee for a challenge on Humphrys by Bielik. Darrell Clarke was booked for his protests from the Barnsley dugout. And on the stroke of half time, Adam Phillips took aim from the edge of the box but Allsop parried away comfortably.
Half time: Barnsley 0-0 Blues
The second half opened up a bit more. Davies recognised the battle the game was turning out to be, and replaced Luke Harris (who had picked up a booking for a late tackle) for Lukas Jutkiewicz, who helped to provide an out-ball throughout the remainder of the match.
Barnsley came out from half time on fire, and fashioned themselves a decent chance less than a minute into the half, picking up a loose ball in midfield and exploiting space in the Blues back line, but Bielik came back in time to block Keillor-Dunn’s effort from a tight angle.
A few minutes later, Marc Roberts picked up a cleared ball from a Barnsley corner and dinked a cross into the Blues box towards Jonathan Russell, who’s header was cleared off the line in sensational fashion by Paik Seung-ho. Paik had to run back towards his goal and acrobatically twist his body and neck from a tough angle, but kept the ball out and saved us from the opening goal.
O’Keefe took a shot straight at Allsop, who almost fumbled into his own net before recovering and securing the ball.
Barnsley broke on the counter shortly after, and Humphrys turned Davies inside and out before firing across goal, and Paik couldn’t get out of the way before tapping the ball into his own net to put the Reds ahead.
It would be difficult to argue against Barnsley deserving their goal after how they’d started the second half, and it felt like a tough game that might result in a 1-0 victory for the hosts, with Blues not looking likely to score.
But then less than a minute after kick-off, with Barnsley still celebrating, May picked up a loose ball and laid it off to Stansfield, who wriggled his way past two Barnsley defenders and struck a scorcher from 25 yards and equalised right in front of the travelling support. Jay was the only player on the pitch with the quality to score a goal like that, and deliver a sucker-punch immediately to a Barnsley side who worked hard to get their noses ahead.
Marc Leonard got his game time and was called upon to try and gain control of the match just after the equaliser, and the game became even once more. Barnsley had flew into challenges all afternoon, injuring Cochrane and picking up several yellow cards in the process. The same player who had made that tackle in the opening minutes, scythed down Laird on the 70th and received his second booking of the game and his marching orders with it. Phillips seemed incensed at his teammate who allowed Laird to pick up the ball from his loose touch, and completed his walk of shame past 5,000 waving arms and chants of “Cheerio” from the away end.
Blues for the first time gained control of the match, helped by the man advantage and a 3 man midfield of Iwata, Paik and Leonard. It was the South Korean international who would deliver the corner that evaded everyone in the middle, and it was Stansfield who fought his way past Gent, who denied his 1-on-1 in the first half, to nod home from inside the 6 yard box and put Blues ahead on the 79th minute.
Barnsley tried to respond, but Blues defended diligently and whittled the clock down in a game we didn’t exert our usual control upon, and came away with the 3 points. Not trademark Blues of 2024/25. But a gutsy, battling performance which Davies praised mere days before, resulted in another big 3 points on the road and our 3rd consecutive victory in the league.
Blues travel away again to Exeter in the newly re-branded Vertu Trophy (previously Bristol Street Motors) for our first knockout round on Tuesday, and return home in the league to host Bristol Rovers on Saturday, bang in form and winning games in different ways – the sign of a very good team.
Full time: Barnsley 1-2 Blues (Stansfield x2)