FULL TIME FROM OAKWELL Posted on: Sat 27 Sep 2008 BARNSLEY 0 NORWICH CITY 0 BARNSLEY turned a corner at Oakwell with a fine performance but again lacked the firepower needed to shoot down the Canaries. Reds boss Simon Davey made two changes from the side that drew at Southampton last weekend with Jon Macken replacing skipper Brian Howard. Macken was handed the captain's armband for the clash with the Canaries while Leon also came back into the team to replace Kayode Odejayi. Barnsley were on the front foot right from the off and Diego Leon almost grabbed a sensational opening goal with just seconds on the clock after spotting David Marshall off his line and hitting an outrageous lob from 50 yards. Marshall just managed to get back and turn the ball over the bar. From the corner Darren Moore was only an inch away from powering the ball into the back of the net. Leon was in the thick of it again on three minutes when he fired in a free kick from out right that Macken could only head over the bar from 12 yards. The little Spaniard again brought a save from Marshall on four minutes after pouncing onto a loose ball 35 yards from goal but this time his volley was straight at the Canaries keeper. Leon was obviously getting to Norwich, as midfielder Mark Fotheringham showed on ten minutes when his scything two footed lunge left the Spaniard on the deck. Barnsley went even closer on 12 minutes when Iain Hume's cross fell to Jamal Campbell-Ryce at the far post and the winger beat Marshall but Matty Patterson was on the line to hack the ball clear, The Reds had an even better chance to take the lead on 14 minutes when Hugo Colace's header struck Patterson's arm in the area. The referee pointed to the spot but Macken's penalty was poor and Marshall was quickly down to save. Macken almost made amends just seconds later when he beat Marshall to Leon's cross but his header looped over the bar. Barnsley again tore through Norwich on 17 minutes as Macken powered through Elliott Omosuzi and onto Rob Kozluk's high ball but could not find a finish and volleyed wide of the target from 16 yards. The Norwich defence was creaking again on 23 minutes as Leon floated another free kick into the heart of the penalty area but somehow the Canaries managed to smother the ball back to Marshall although Moore and Stephen Foster went close to a decisive touch. Norwich finally had a chance on 28 minutes when Ryan Bertrand got down the left to cross and Antoine Sibierski powered a header towards the bottom corner but Heinz Muller was there to pull deny the striker with a wonderful one-handed save. The good chances just kept on coming and Colace should have done better on 36 minutes when he wrong-footed the Norwich defence in taking down Hume's cross but smashed his volley well wide. Dejan Stefanovic finally got close to Macken on 39 minutes but hauled down the striker right on the edge of the area. Leon curled the free kick over the wall but agonisingly a foot wide of the post. Anderson then tricked his way past half a dozed swinging boots on the edge of the area in stoppage time but could only bring a fine stop from Marshall with a well-struck drive. Norwich tried to find an answer to the Reds dominance after half time and Jon Otsemebor almost shocked Oakwell on 48 minutes when he drilled a free kick through the wall but a foot or so wide of Muller's post. Hume almost got in at the other end two minutes later as he raced onto Macken's header but was crowded out before he could flick the ball past Marshall, who had raced out to deny the striker. Fotheringham lashed one well, well wide of the goal on 53 minutes after picking up a loose ball 30 yards out. Muller had a very worrying moment when Foster put too much on a backpass and the ball flew over the big German but rolled a yard wide of the open goal. Campbell-Ryce and Hume combined well to put Macken in on goal on 63 minutes but the striker could not force the ball past Marshall under pressure from Stefanovic. Colace then picked up a booking two minutes later after tripping Croft as City looked to break quickly. Muller had to be at his acrobatic best on 68 minutes to turn Croft's mishit cross over the bar but the German was alert enough to deny the winger what would have been a very fortunate goal. Muller again denied Croft two minutes later after a quick break down an exposed right flank. Norwich were beginning to find get some joy on the counter as the Reds piled forward and Darel Russell flashed one wide of the mark on 74 minutes as City looked to hit Barnsley on the break again. Russell then ought to have been given his marching orders seconds later after swinging a wild elbow at Anderson but it amazingly went unnoticed by the officials although it enraged boss Simon Davey on the touchline. Substitute Odejayi almost made an instant impact as he managed to get his head to Foster's cross on 80 minutes but he glanced an effort wide of the far post. Norwich should have stolen the lead a minute later when Russell crossed from the left to give Sibierski a free header inside the six yard box but the Frenchman put his effort high over with Muller stranded. Campbell-Ryce's quick corner gave Leon a chance to race at the Norwich defence on 84 minutes but the Spaniard could only fire his shot a foot wide as another good chance went begging. BARNSLEY: Muller, Foster, Souza, Moore, Kozluk, Campbell-Ryce, Anderson, Colace (Devaney 69), Leon, Macken (Odejayi 73), Hume. Subs: Steele, Hassell, Mostto. NORWICH CITY: Marshall, Otsemobor, Stefanovic, Croft (Hoolahan 75), Grounds, Fotheringham, Russell, Bertrand, Omosuzi, Patterson (Cureton 61), Sibierski. Subs: Drury, Koroma, Nelson. Referee: Nigel Miller (Co Durham) Assistant Referee: Gary Bestwick (Co Durham) Assistant Referee: Tony Harrington (Cleveland) Fourth Official: Scott Ledger (South Yorkshire)
