Match Report

Tigers 2 Barnsley 3
Coca Cola Championship 8/8/2006

Despite a commanding start and two early goals from Jon Parkin, the Tigers never looked comfortable against play-off winners Barnsley, and the meltdown of the second half was horrifying as the Tykes fought back to win.

At this level, even extremities like losing a match from 2-0 up can be forgiven if the opposition have the pre-match gravitas to do it. Barnsley don't, making the display all the more disconcerting.

Phil Parkinson's touchline skittling and encouragment didn't help this time, as City succumbed to enforced changes in midfield and some dismal individual errors at the back. And yet at first we looked invincible, with a gallantly positive midfield feeding two willing wide men and supplying proper opportunities for the strikers. Barnsley barely got a kick.

No surprises in the line-up which began, as Parkinson kept faith with the team which played the best spell of the opening undisgraced defeat at West Brom - Bo Myhill was backed by Sam Ricketts, Michael Turner, skipper Damien Delaney and Andy Dawson; Ryan France continued unfamiliarly but gamely down the left and Craig Fagan let off steam on the other side, with our new hopeful midfield pairing of John Welsh and Dean Marney in between. Parkin was aided in attack by the chasing of Darryl Duffy.

City's earliest chance was indicative of some truly dominant football, the likes of which we rarely saw in any spell at the KC last season. Fagan managed a sharp turn on the right edge of the box and, with the angle narrowing, kept his low drive on target only for Barnsley keeper Nick Colgan to hold it well. Barnsley briefly responded when Brian Howard rasped one from distance which Myhill's reflexes beat away; then Martin Devaney beat a fragile offside trap to test Myhill's nerve again - the keeper got palms to the ball but was out of position as ex-Scunt peroxider Paul Hayes followed up, only for another ex-Iron, the more fragrant Andy Dawson, to clear gymnastically from the line with his head.

A warning? Absolutely. We could put it down to our new defence still familiarising themselves with each other, a necessity surely made more easy to achieve once we suddenly scored twice and opened the floodgates.

A set piece was half cleared to Welsh, running sideways on and needing an outlet to the right. He found it with a clever ball to Fagan, who made his full back look stupid (a rare feat for Fagan the winger; one hopes there's more to come) and had a choice of a pull back to Duffy or a cross ball for Parkin. He chose the latter, and the Beast's sidefooted finish settled it.

There was little chance for Barnsley recuperation as within three minutes Parkin scored again, in much more of a Beast-like manner. Myhill punted the longest goalkick of his career downfield, one bounce later and our paunchy centre forward was heading the ball netwards while issuing an airborne splashdown on Colgan. The keeper stayed on the turf and, quite refreshingly, no whistle was heard as the Beast found the loose ball and hooked it home from a tight angle. It's probably the most route one goal I've ever seen City score. Barnsley's protests were long; Colgan's treatment in his six yard box was longer. Momentum was in danger of being lost but at least City were two up and had something to play with.

City tried again, with France showing typical perseverance as he zig-zagged through a brace of covering defenders to pull back for Marney, who swiped the chance well wide. Then the influential Welsh - what a great start he's had to his season - won two crunching block tackles in quick succession to earn possession and deliver a fizzing pass to Fagan, who gluttonously went for unlikely glory with an off-target shot when both Parkin and Duffy were in the right positions for a calmer final ball.

In the last section of the first half, Hayes hit a snapped half-volley which forced Myhill to work, and he did to good effect, but still this was majorly City's half. France again teased the defence with a vibrant run before laying back for Marney to belt one; this time it was a monster of a hit, on target, but Colgan's delicate posture nonetheless did enough to stop it. Then Marney chipped in a set piece and Parkin eventually found room to turn and try a lob of daintiness which defied the Beast caricature. It was only a few inches from bringing him a hat-trick.

Still City were urged forward and the response was a smart drive from the new, attack-minded Welsh - his first shot since his clincher at Coventry last year, probably - which Colgan grasped frantically at the second attempt as Duffy came in for the scraps. Marney then sent Fagan racing down his line, and his cross went over the Beastly head and to France at the far post. Alas, this is where Stuart Elliott still has the edge, as France rushed the chance and sliced way over the bar.

Barnsley created little - Brian Howard struck a long one at Myhill and Hayes delivered a very weak header straight at an untroubled goalkeeper as City basked in the three minutes of added on time, correctly allocated through Colgan's recovery time from his Superbeasting, and thought of a job well done.

Then we got sloppy at the death. Howard's arching cross was met by Hayes, whose flying header was beaten out by Myhill, leaving long-time subject of City rumourmongering Michael McIndoe with an easy tap-in. Even after this late response, Barnsley had time to make Myhill work again with efforts from McIndoe and Marc Richards, who nearly capitalised on some dispiriting cautiousness from Myhill as a long punt came his way. The whistle went and suddenly a comfortable half had turned us all nervous again.

One can imagine the half-time team talk. I'm sure Mr Parkinson told them to stay controlled and expect some pressure from an opponent whose tails were now firmly up. If this was the advice, it went rather drastically unheeded. Some folk were still re-finding their new seats for the season when Barnsley equalised.

They won a corner, City half cleared it and the marking went to pot from the all-crucial second ball as a free Hayes flung himself at the ball, nodding it on to a post and into the path of Richards, who couldn't miss. 48 minutes gone and we had to start again.

The worrying thing was that we simply couldn't. Losing Marney, who had clearly pulled up with a muscular problem in the groin area 60 seconds before Parkinson replaced him with Keith Andrews, didn't help. Marney's brand of positive, striker-supporting and potshotting midfield play had brought Barnsley back more, also allowing Welsh the room to muck in and contribute to the attack. For all Andrews' vision, he will never have a reputation for such optimistic play, and the old City of dropping back and soaking pressure returned.

This was attainable still, as we still had three attackers on the bench - including Nicky Barmby, who I personally was very keen to see - but when Barnsley's grip increased further on the game in the middle period of the half, it was Ben Burgess who was sent on for the tiring Parkin, his job done. Burgess spent his 27 minutes proving exactly just how short he is of both ability and intelligence when it comes to this level of football, even against a team who are, as a whole, getting used to it themselves.

City created one chance after being pegged back to 2-2. Prior to his withdrawal, Parkin turned away down the left flank with ridiculous delicacy for a man of his girth and chipped a stunning centre to the far post where Fagan - a striker in a winger's role - found himself back at centre forward and with a clear view of keeper and goal. He swatted it high over the bar. City were suddenly at their profligate worst, as the chances were not coming otherwise.

Barnsley chucked in a long throw which even the beanpoled Turner couldn't get a decent bonce on, and Paul Heckingbottom, complete with garish silver stripe in his hair, banged the follow-up inches wide from 25 yards.

Then the sickening winner. Similar to Parkin's second, a high ball with keeper and striker in attendance. However, Hayes seemed to notice that Myhill and Turner weren't aware of each other racing out to claim, and as a result neither got it and it dropped on his instep for 3-2. An ex-Scunt gets the winner thanks to our own ghastly errors. The shame.

Myhill deservedly will take a hammering for that, although the generally slipshod manner of defending and communication will need instant work if it isn't to become a long-term headache. Barnsley's travelling support - loud but not as plentiful as I'd anticipated - were rightly gleeful. A group of them passed themselves off as proper contributors to Radio Humberside's post-match phone-in on their journey home and instead soiled the airwaves with "Two nil, and you f**ked it up" in song. Childish, but the sentiment was right. We did. And once we were 3-2 down, we were completely impotent and were never going to equalise.

A final substitution came, but it wasn't Barmby. It was Elliott, with Welsh departing to applause. The logic is fair enough, as for all Elliott's documented weaknesses, he can hit the back of the net without much thought if the chance comes. However, it didn't come for him. Nor for anyone else. Burgess and Andrews took a pounding from the support as one failed to leap properly for chipped balls while the other showed some shameful wastefulness with his first touch. Delaney went forward to add an extra body in attack but not even a half-chance emerged.

Barnsley made two late substitutions and the game petered out. A defeat again, but unlike at the Hawthorns, there's plenty to discuss in the inquest. Despite the early goals, City weren't in any great groove at the back, and one can hope this is down to the settling in process of the two new defenders. Ricketts looks an intelligent player who can defend resolutely while showing responsibility in attack, but Turner seems very awkward, very nervous, as if he's allowed himself to be daunted by the step up, the bigger crowds and the price tag. It was up to Delaney, skipper and defender supreme, to bring Leon Cort up to speed and look how that turned out. One can only hope that he can do likewise with the big man's gawky replacement.

Myhill shot-stopped well but when keepers make errors we feel them much more, and he'll have slept badly. Think of last season and take a step back. Also work on communicating with new defenders. As for the midfield, it looked solid and dominant until Marney had to go, and then it took a ten-yard retreat thanks to Andrews' instincts as both holder and leader. This gave Barnsley room and encouragement to go on and win.

Up front, Parkin led the line superbly and took his goals well, although clearly there is an issue, after two successive substitutions, about his overall capacity to last the course. Duffy didn't get a sniff but he wasn't wasteful like at West Brom, as nobody really gave him the opportunities to score. His running and his desire to be in the right place will see him right, but he needs a goal urgently now.

Derby at home? Oh my, one can recall that fantastic smash-and-grab on them last year when they ran us dry and dead for 90 minutes and we won with a late penalty while surviving two dubiously disallowed goals. A win, along with a good set of travelling fans (they were ace last season) would again be ideal, naturally. But it's on the telly, and those memories of Burnley, Bradford, Doncaster... no, it's too gruesome. Just don't look at the league table yet. Please. (MR)