BARNSLEY 1 (Howard 44, Hume Sent Off 80)
COVENTRY CITY 2 (Eastwood 12, Gray 68)
BARNSLEY were left with ten men and their hopes of something from the game left shattered by Iain Hume's controversial sending off ten minutes from time.
Reds boss Simon Davey made two changes to the side that lost at Crewe in midweek with Jon Macken and new boy Gary Teale coming in the starting eleven. Rob Kozluk and Maceo Rigters dropped out.
Coventry went on the offensive at Oakwell with strikers Eastwood, Clinton Morrison and Michael Mifsud joined in the team by wide men Jay Tabb and Julian Gray in a very attacking line up as the Sky Blues came looking to continue their good start with a for a third win on the spin.
A firework display greeted the two teams as the Reds hoped for an explosive start to the new home campaign at Oakwell Stadium.
Barnsley started brilliantly and were almost in front with less than a minute on the clock when Brian Howard picked out a pass to send Jon Macken in down the right. The striker's cross beat Keiron Westwood and looked to give Hume a tap in but Elliott Ward managed to get back and nod around the post. Bobby Hassell the did well to break through the Coventry defence two minutes later onto another fine Howard pass but Westwood this time managed to claw the full back's cross away from Macken. Teale smashed the rebound against a defender from 18 yards.
Great play by Martin Devaney had Coventry guessing on six minutes only for Aaron Gunnarson to end the winger's run on the edge of the area. Diego Leon brought an outstanding save from Westwood. From Leon's corner Westwood again had to be at his best to grab Hume's header. Hume was almost in on ten minutes as the Reds went route one and Macken flicked Luke Steele's long kick into the area but the ball just bounced through to Westwood. Devaney again had Gunnarson looking a fool on eleven minutes as he raced past the defender and towards the area only to be upended right on the edge of penalty box. Leon blasted the free kick high over the top.
After being totally outplayed for the opening 12 minutes Coventry snatched the lead completely against the run of play through a fluke by Eastwood. The ex-Southend and Wolves striker picked up the ball on the right wing and curled in a cross that somehow managed to beat the Reds defence and ended up in the back of the net at the foot of the far post.
Another clumsily timed challenge by Guillaume Beuzelin gave Leon a shooting chance from a free kick again on 16 minutes but this time the Spaniard smashed a 25-yard drive over the top. Coventry went a whisker away from a second goal on 19 minutes when Ward rose highest at the back post to meet Danny Fox's free kick and saw his header bounce back off the foot of the post.
Hume managed to get in behind the Coventry defence on 22 minutes to meet Teale's pass and looked to be in on Westwood only for the referee to rule that Macken was offside in the build up. Barnsley got their act together again on the half hour when Macken and Teale combined to give Hume a chance eight yards out but the striker saw his shot on the turn cannon away for a corner.
Eastwood became a victim of the games' drive for respect on 34 minutes when he was booked for dissent after arguing with the officials.
Howard the managed to pick a pass through the Coventry defence on 37 minutes to give Devaney a shooting chance but his drive flew well wide of the mark. Devaney went close again a minute later when her attacked Hume's cross but Ward was in the right place to knock the danger away. Westwood was worried on 40 minutes as he dove full length at Howard's rasping low drive but the ball flew a foot or so wide of target.
Gunnarson showed he was better going forward than tackling on 41 minutes when he drove at the Reds defence and brought a smart low save from Steele. Morrison was rightly cautioned on 42 minuets for a stupid lunge on Leon, who had pulled the strings in the middle and was at the heart of everything the Reds had done well in the first half.
Coventry got away with murder a minute later when Morrison blatantly punched clear Hassell's free kick in the area only for the referee to rule that the hand came from Darren Moore. It was an outrageous decision that angered the Reds and the thousands inside Oakwell. Barnsley did not it hang over them and were on level terms on 44 minutes when Teale did well to cross from the right and Howard was in the right place at the right time to hammer the ball into the back of the net.
It was the Sky Blues who came out flying after the restart and would have been back in front on 48 minutes had Steele not pulled off a wonder stop to turn away Eastwood's drive after a break into the box by Michael Mifsud.
Leon went close again with a free kick on 49 minutes before Dennis Souza headed wide of the mark from Howard's corner seconds later. Eastwood saw a shot deflect wide off Moore before all hell broke lose in the Reds area minutes later when first Ward and then Mifsud hit the deck claiming penalties but the referee gave nothing despite the Sky Blues' protests.
Barnsley went close again on 55 minutes when Devaney, Macken and Leon had a hand in crafting an opening for Howard but the midfielder blazed high over from 18 yards. Hume had Westwood scrambling on 64 minutes when he let fly from the edge of the box but the Coventry keeper was well-placed to make a comfortable save. The Reds were slowly getting on top although they had to be careful and were almost caught out on 66 minutes when Julian Gray raced onto Eastwood's pass but blazed high over the bar.
Barnsley were caught out by a long ball on 68 minutes and made to pay for some sloppy defending. Westwood's kick found its way to Eastwood, who looked miles offside, and the striker's pass gave Gray the chance to attack and he fired the ball past Steele from 16 yards.
The Reds needed a response and Howard tried to find one on 73 minutes when he tested Westwood with a free kick from 25 yards but the keeper comfortably fielded the ball at his left hand post. Hume left the Reds chances in tatters on 80 minutes when he went in hard on Mifsud out on the touchline. The striker took the ball but his strong challenge left the Maltese striker in a heap and earned a second yellow card from the referee.
With a man down the Reds were always going to struggle and Ward was a foot or so from heading in on 86 minutes when he met Mifsud's cross but planted his header wide from six yards.
Leon almost levelled it in stoppage time after Maceo Rigters' shot on the turn had bounced through to the Spaniard on the six yard line but he could not get enough on his shot to beat Westwood.
Substitute Michael Doyle almost grabbed a third for City with virtually his first touch as he let fly from distance but Steele did well to turn his shot away.
BARNSLEY: Steele, Foster, Souza, Moore, Hassell (Odejayi 85), Teale (Rigters 74), Howard, Leon, Devaney, Hume, Macken.
Subs: Mostto, Atkinson, Butterfield.
COVENTRY CITY: Westwood, Mifsud (Doyle 86), Fox, Dann, Ward, Tabb, Beuzelin, Gunnarson, Gray (McKenzie 79), Morrison (Simpson 86), Eastwood.
Subs: Turner, Ireland.
Referee: Mr Steve Bratt (West Midlands)
Assistant Referee: Mr Glyn Mellor (Derbyshire)
Assistant Referee: Mr Andy Newell (Lancashire)
Fourth Official: Mr Paul Simpson (County Durham)
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