Barnsley FC fell to defeat at home to Manchester United U21, in a highly-competitive game in which no fewer than three young talents made their professional debuts for the Reds, with Vimal Yoganathan opening his account in professional football with an excellent first-half brace. The Reds pressed well in the opening minutes, with the forward pairing of Yoganathan and Kyran Lofthouse putting the United defence under heavy strain. This paid dividends in the 10th minute, when Lofthouse squared the ball to Yoganathan in space in the area. The young midfielder, making only his third senior start, slotted a cool and composed effort past Tom Heaton, producing his first professional goal, and Barnsley’s first goal of the night. Barnsley continued to impress following the opener, displaying real quality in the final third. After 18 minutes, they came close to a second goal, when following a Corey O’Keeffe cross, Josh Benson managed to produce a looping header which was only denied by quick reflexes from the Manchester United ‘keeper. The Reds continued to look good value for their lead, as the half progressed. After 29 minutes, a curling O’Keeffe free-kick was only prevented by a last-ditch clearance by an opposition defender. Josh Benson came close from the resulting corner kick, hitting a powerful shot from the edge of the box which was directed just wide of the left post. The opposition were not without their own chances, however, with Ben Killip coming down well to collect an Amass free-kick from twenty yards out in the 32nd minute. Killip also produced an excellent save with his feet three minutes later, to deny an angled shot at the near post by Ethan Ennis. However, this could not dampen the spirit of a dominant Reds side, and in the 37th minute, Barnsley doubled the scoring. Producing an excellent run down the left flank, Lofthouse again spotted his strike partner, Yoganathan, in the area. The Welshman promptly slotted the ball home, to secure a well-deserved brace, and to ensure that the Reds went into half time with a comfortable lead. HALF TIME: Barnsley 2-0 Manchester United U21 Darrell Clarke’s men made a number of changes at the break, and entered the second half with the same vigour and attacking intensity as they left the first. In the 49th minute, substitute Aiden Marsh almost produced a third for the Reds, hitting an angled shot from the left-hand side of the box which came agonisingly close to crossing the line, rolling across the box and forcing a clearance from an opposition defender. Although the Reds managed to control possession through the early minutes of the half, the visitors did have a number of chances to pull one back, which the Barnsley defensive line responded incredibly well. In the 65th minute, they had a great chance when forward Jack Fletcher found himself in space in the box, and took a curling shot from close range, however, Oliver Wilkinson, making history as Barnsley’s youngest ever starting senior player, moved incredibly well to block the shot and it was subsequently cleared out of harm’s way. The Reds came close to a third again in the 70th minute, when Josiah Dyer produced an excellent ball in the box for Marsh, however the forward was not able to control the ball cleanly, and it was collected by Heaton. They continued to press well, and had another great chance in the 77th minute, when Marsh picked up on a miscued opposition pass, and shot from twenty-five yards out, however, his effort was again unable to hit the target, and went high and wide of the post. However, the opposition were not to be counted out, and in the 81st minute, the forward Ennis managed to pick up a through ball from midfield, and placed his effort into the bottom-left corner to pull one back for Manchester United. Three minutes later, forward Fletcher hit a shot from thirty yards out, which beat Killip in the Barnsley net to level the scoring. And in the 86th minute, the visitors’ second goalscorer, Fletcher, picked up the ball in the centre of the box, hitting a powerful effort past Killip to take the lead. The Reds were dealt a further blow in the 92nd minute, when Corey O’Keeffe was dismissed following a defensive battle with an opposition midfielder. And despite the best efforts of Darrell Clarke’s men, they were not able to find an equaliser, meaning that this season’s first effort in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy ended in defeat, in spite of a performance which provided plenty of positives for the young talent on show. FULL TIME: Barnsley 2-3 Manchester United U21 Barnsley: Killip, Russell (Marsh, 45), O’Keeffe, Benson (Nejman, 45), Lofthouse (McCann, 73), Gent (Dyer, 45), McCarthy, Bland, Wilkinson (Barratt, 67), Lopata (C), Yoganathan Subs not used: Smith, Barratt, Alker Continue reading...
