Barnsley (4:4:1:1) 3 (2)Crewe Alex (4:4:1:1) 3 (0) Barnsley Team 1. Danny Free (2nd year) 2. Martin Grundy (2nd year) 3. Jonny Davis (1st year) 4. Conor Branson (1st year) 5. Shaun Reid (non contract) 6. Tyrone Crapper (1st year), Kieran Scargill (55 min) 7. Alastair Taylor (1st year) 8. Danny Fearneough (1st year) 9. Steven Bennett (1st year), Dylan Robinson (70 min) 10. Jamil Adam (2nd year) 11. Tom Mellor (2nd Year), Jack Watts (45 min) Subs 12. Jack Watts (2nd year) 14. Kieran Scargill (1st year) 15. Liam Reffin (1st year) 16. Dylan Robinson (non contract) 22. Tom Ruslin (1st Year) It is always interesting to see Crewe as they are a team with few financial resources, but which consistently produces players of quality from their academy system. What are they doing right that Barnsley are clearly, judging by results, not doing. Crewe dominated opening exchanges and the Reds were indebted to their goalkeeper for keeping them in the game. The Barnsley centre-halves looked like they had been introduced 5 minutes before the start, had taken an instant dislike and had refused to talk to each other. Neither seemed to have seen the system that Crewe played before and found a centre forward dropping deep to find space a total mystery, even though Barnsley operated the same system. Consequently, the Crewe #10 (Marshall?) was the biggest influence on the game. Up front for Barnsley, Bennett could do little right as his flicks went to no-one and his control was poor. Then with 15 minutes gone, he was on the end of a through ball from Mellor which he drilled under the Crewe keeper to make it 1-0. The pattern of the game continued, with Crewe having the lions share of possession and chances. However, after 30 minutes, they were caught too far up field chasing an equaliser. Taylor picked up the clearance in space on the right. He found Adam inside about 35 yards from goal. Having no better option, Adam decided to shoot. Some would say, great strike, though the Crewe keeper, who got both hands to the ball will know differently. The match returned to the pattern of Crewe possession until half time came with the score 2-0 to the Reds. Barnsley were forced to replace Mellor at half time, which was a shame because he had looked to have the beating of the Crewe right back. He had also shown good passing ability. In his place, Jack Watts, a centre forward, was introduced down the left wing. It was immediately apparent that this was a mistake. Nevertheless, more by look than judgement, the Reds kept a clean sheet until 70 minutes had gone. The Crewe goal, when it came, had a touch of good fortune. A cross came in from the right and Fearnehough managed to get a touch. Unfortunately, he merely knocked the ball onto the Crewe #12 (Peel?) and the ball arced into the corner with the keeper, for once, helpless. With the crowd expecting Crewe to push for the equaliser their play deserved, the unexpected happened. Watts ran clear down the right. His cross found Scargill at the edge of the box and his chest pass found Adam who scored his second with a low shot into the corner. Could it be that, for all their efforts, Crewe would return home with nothing. Not if the Barnsley defence had any say in the matter. They were all unaccountably absent without leave as the Crewe #14 (Oswell?) carried the ball unchallenged from 25 yards and then shot into the corner from 12 yards to make the game interesting again. Crewe had by this time reverted to 4:4:2. Whilst the Barnsley stoppers had found the Crewe #10 (Marshall) hard to mark from the start, he proved impossible to mark with 2 forwards ahead of him. It was no real surprise when he cut in from the left to fire a lovely shot arround the Reds keeper and into the right top corner for the goal of the game. Only 5 minutes remained but the was still time for chances at either end. MotM for Barnsley: Free
