Bradford City 1 (Stead 17)
Reds 0
Barnsley lost by a solitary strike at Bradford but could have easily pinched a point on a difficult surface in West Yorkshire.
An impeccable minute's applause was observed for the victims of the Bradford fire tragedy 30 years ago.
The Reds enjoyed the majority of possession in the first 10 minutes and forced a succession of corners. Conor Hourihane was on hand to pick up a half-cleared delivery but his shot was tame enough for Williams to gather untroubled.
The hosts worked in a throw-in on 13 minutes that Jon Stead did well to control and turn before firing at goal but Davies was equal to the striker's effort.
Stead went one better in the 17th minute when he volleyed his side into the lead. Knott's cross from the left landed right on the boot of Stead who cushioned into the far corner for 1-0.
Barely a minute after the opener, Routis had a glorious chance to make it 2-0 but he fluffed his lines from 15 yards out and scuffed wide.
The Reds were playing decent football on the deck but the difficult surface was hampering their progress into the final third somewhat.
Billy Knott picked up a short free-kcik on the right before charging towards the edge of the area, his shot in the end was well wide, though.
Second half
Less than two minutes after the break, Barnsley had a decent chance to haul themselves level. Hourihane played infield for Berry on the edge of the box but he snatched at his chance and dragged wide of the far post.
Paul Digby struck a sweet effort from 30 yards but despite his good connection, his effort lacked direction and it sailed harmlessly wide.
The Reds made their first change on 57 minutes as Milan Lalkovic replaced Paul Digby.
The home side won a free-kick through Hanson down the left on 67 minutes. McMahon's delivery landed on the head of Routis but he couldn't direct his effort on target from barely four yards.
It was evident there nothing riding on the game as the temp slowed up with chances drying up for both sides.
Barnsley's best chance of the second half came on 83 minutes when Conor Hourihane's delivery from a right-wing free-kick caused mayhem in the Bantams' box. It appeared Mason Holate got the last touch but he couldn't squeeze the ball home at the far stick as his attempt hit the side-netting.
When the Reds forced a corner in the 89th minutes, Adam Davies came up to try his luck and nearly connected with the midfielder's delivery but Bradford were able to clear the danger.
George Maris had a looping header on target in the dying embers of the game but Williams caught with relative ease. The full-time whistle sounded soon after.
Teams
Bradford City: Williams, Darby, Meredith, Davies, Liddle, Hanson, Clarke, Knott (Dolan 65), Stead, Routis, McMahon.
Subs: Urwin, Sheehan, Yeates, Halliday, Webb-Forster, Mottley-Henry.
Reds: Davies, John, Berry (Maris 77), Nyatanga, Cranie, Scowen, Hourihane, Digby (Lalkovic 57), Ibehre, Holgate, Pearson.
Subs: Wildsmith, Oates, Williams, Cowgill, Bree.
Referee: Scott Mathieson
Attendance: 15,560 (1,432 Reds)
