Barnsley secured back-to-back home wins with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Bristol Rovers at Oakwell, leaving the visitors disappointed after a competitive encounter.
Despite the defeat, Rovers’ boss Matt Taylor was upbeat at the end of the game, one which started at a frantic pace, with Barnsley applying early pressure. Josh Earl was a constant threat on the left, whipping in dangerous crosses that tested the Rovers’ defence. Barnsley nearly broke the deadlock within the opening two minutes, but Cyrus Cotter’s strike was pushed out for a corner by Rovers goalkeeper Matt Griffiths.
Despite Barnsley’s dominance, Rovers almost capitalised on a defensive error between Pines and Roberts, but the Barnsley backline snuffed out the opportunity.
The hosts finally took the lead in the 11th minute. A slick move saw Luca Connell slip a perfectly timed pass to debutant Davies Keillor-Dunn, who calmly slotted the ball past Griffiths to make it 1-0.
The Gas struggled to find their rhythm but drew level in the 37th minute. A defensive mix-up in Barnsley’s box allowed Ruel Sotiriou to pounce, tapping the ball into an empty net to make it 1-1 going into half-time.
The second half saw both sides battle for control, but Barnsley struck again. Cotter delivered a pinpoint cross from the right, and Adam Phillips powered a header into the net to restore the lead.
With Sinclair coming close, Rovers had chances to equalise, but his curling effort sailed just over the bar. A flurry of late corners for the visitors put Barnsley under pressure, but they held firm to secure all three points.
The result frustrates Rovers, with missed opportunities proving costly in an otherwise balanced contest. However, manager Matt Taylor was happy with his side’s performance.
“I’ve got a disappointed changing room,” the former Exeter City man told the club media. “In terms of the game as a spectacle and a performance, we weren’t too far away. We started on the back foot. They started brighter and moved quicker than us in the first fifteen to twenty minutes.
“As the game progressed, we used the ball better than we had done and created enough chances to not only be level but possibly ahead. Then it’s one moment of quality.”
“I think that was our best away performance in terms of the way we played apart from the first fifteen minutes,” added Taylor. “That is still important. If we play like that away from home more often than not this season, I think we’ll be absolutely fine.”
The result leaves the Gas in ninth, with seven points from five fixtures, having played more than all but two of the teams below them.
Writer’s View
They will be fine, Taylor is spot on. His side have had some money spent on it this season, and it takes time to gel, but there are far worse teams than Bristol Rovers in League One.
The stats don’t suggest they deserved anything from this game, though. Barnsley were dominant, and while many didn’t fancy Darrell Clarke as the manager there, he’s seemingly got them firing quite quickly. Neither of these sides will trouble the bottom four, and both should be in and around the top ten, come the end of the season.
Founder and Editor-in-Chief at The Real EFL, Gary is a passionate Lincoln City fan with extensive content creation across the Championship and EFL. He also shares expert football betting tips.
