BARNSLEY 1 (Williams 79) YEOVIL TOWN 0 A PENALTY from Robbie Williams late in the game finally broke Yeovil's brave resistance at Oakwell to give the Reds three points they really struggled to earn. Reds boss Andy Ritchie made two changes to the side that crashed at Colchester last weekend with Chris Shuker coming back in to replace Antony Kay in midfield. Conlon also started his first game of the calendar year up front with Daniel Nardiello missing out through injury. Barnsley started exactly as Ritchie would have wanted after the Colchester debacle with Yeovil struggling to get a hold of the ball throughout the opening stages. Conlon almost managed to get his head onto a Robbie Williams cross on three minutes as the Red tide pressed forward. Yeovil's only real effort in the opening stages was an outrageous attempt from the half way line by debutant Paul Bastianini that Nick Colgan did well to hold. The Reds went straight down the other end with Stephen McPhail bringing the best from keeper Chris Weale with a free kick from 20 yards on five minutes before Hayes sent a lob inches over the top seconds later. Conlon then did wonderfully well on ten minutes to power his way past Efe Sodje to send a header into the path of Hayes but the striker rushed his volley and put the ball wide of the target. At the other end Bastianini again fired a first time shot well over the bar two minutes later before Sodje tested Colgan again with a downward header from Lee Johnson's left wing corner. Another foul by Sodje on Conlon gave the Reds a shooting chance again on 14 minutes but this time Jacob Burns brought a save from Weale with a curling effort from 25 yards. A minute later Paul Reid and Darren Way were both shown a yellow card after the Yeovil midfielder reacted to the Reds' skipper's challenge. The Reds were rampant and in total control as Williams did well to send Hayes away on 22 minutes. The striker picked a great pass through the Yeovil backline for the onrushing Burns but the Aussie could not direct his shot on target and fired well over from 16 yards. Burns turned provider on 24 minutes with a great through ball that sent Hayes clear on the hesitant Weale but the Yeovil keeper redeemed himself with a fine block as the Reds striker went close to opening the scoring. Quick thinking again by the impressive Burns on 26 minutes found Conlon in space and the striker fired goalward from 25 yards only to again find Weale in the way. Chris Shuker was then harshly shown a yellow card on by a picky official 33 minutes as he fell over the legs of Way as the pair Yeovil midfielder broke forward. Bastianini then really should have been booked for kicking the ball away after being caught offside but this time the official decided to ignore the rules and let the Yeovil striker off with a warning. Conlon did well to create a chance out of nothing on 43 minutes as he held the ball up well and turned before seeing his shot bounce off a defender to safety. Barnsley had a massive let off just a minute later as Way crashed a 20 yard drive off the underside of the cross bar and away to safety. Again the Reds pressed and again it came from Conlon with the big striker spraying the ball out to Williams in the channel but the youngster flashed his effort well wide of the goal. The second half started with a booking for Yeovil's Paul Terry after the midfielder led with his elbow in an aerial challenge with Neil Austin before Jevons and Bastianini had efforts blocked away by the Reds defence after breaking into space on 49 minutes. Another ridiculous decision went against the Reds on 52 minutes as Way broke though a host of challenges to shoot well, well wide of the goal only for the referee to somehow give a corner even though the ball had gone nowhere near a defender or goalkeeper Colgan. Yeovil pressed on and McPhail had to produce a fantastic tackle on Jevons on 54 minutes to deny the striker an almost certain goal as he prepared to shoot in the area. Nathan Jones then sent a free kick just wide on 57 minutes after Bastianini had been tripped by Burns on the edge of the box. Bastianini was proving to be a real thorn in the Reds side and the Argentinean could have grabbed a debut goal on 58 minutes but Dale Tonge was in the right place to block his goalbound shot. It took until the 65th minute for the Reds to finally liven up and it was Shuker who almost found a way through with a well-struck shot from 30 yards that Weale did well to parry. Hayes really should have buried the rebound but fired over the top with the whole goal to aim at. Burns then crashed a shot against the woodwork on 67 minutes but this time Weale had lady luck on his side as the ball bounced straight back into his arms as he lay on the ground. McPhail and Hayes then combined well on the edge of the area with the ball eventually breaking through the midfielder beyond the Yeovil defence but Johnson managed to get his foot on the ball and guide it through the Weale. The goal finally came on 79 minutes after Neil Austin had been bundled over in the box by Sodje's needless and clumsy challenge. Williams stepped up to drill the ball low past Weale and into the back of the net. The Reds should have had a second penalty on 85 minutes as Terry Skiverton climbed all over Conlon in the area but somehow the referee saw nothing despite the foul being as plain as day to the 8,000 plus in Oakwell. There was still time for Sodje to waste a gilt-edged chance to level things with a free header at the back post which he managed to put wide of the target. Substitute Kay then almost doubled the advantage on 89 minutes with a low shot from 30 yards that Weale did well to parry away BARNSLEY: Colgan, Reid, Carbon, Burns, Hayes (Jarman 75), Conlon, McPhail (Kay 81), Austin, Shuker, Tonge, Williams. Subs: Flinders, Vaughan, Wroe. YEOVIL TOWN: Weale, Skiverton, Way, Terry (Harrold 81), Johnson, Jevons (Gall 70), Jones, Amankwaah, Sodje, Bastianini, Davies. Subs: Lockwood, Miles, Collins.
he's having a laugh talk about a one sided pile of ****. that is the most outrageous match report ive ever read. bring back steve
