CREWE ALEXANDRA 2 (O'Connor 13 P, Elding 36 P)
BARNSLEY 0
Carling Cup First Round

BARNSLEY may have captured the hearts of the nation with last season's FA Cup run but the Reds were on the receiving end of a knockout nightmare at the Alexandra Stadium this evening.

Barnsley boss Simon Davey made three changes to the side that battled so well at QPR with Rob Kozluk, Diego Leon and Maceo Rigters replacing Mounir El Haimour, Marciano Van Homoet and Jon Macken. Youngsters Jacob Butterfield, Rob Atkinson and Jamil Adam were named on the bench as the Reds had the opportunity to have seven substitutes for the first time.

Crewe started the brighter and Luke Steele had to be alert on three minutes to turn away Byron Moore's flick after the Reds had struggled to deal with Billy Jones' free kick. Barnsley slowly grew in confidence and started to dominate. Rigters did well on ten minutes to twist and turn his way into a shooting position after racing onto Iain Hume's pass but his effort cannoned away off a defender and wide of the mark.

Crewe had a great chance to take the lead on 12 minutes when Tom Pope was sent sprawling in the area after racing in at Darren Moore, who was left exposed down the left hand side. The veteran was done a little for pace on the turn and Michael O'Connor lashed the penalty into the roof of the net off Steele's outstretched arm.

The Reds were almost back on level terms inside two minutes when Leon fired an outstanding free kick over the wall and towards the top corner but Steve Collis managed to turn his effort against the angle of post and bar and away. Leon went close again on the half hour after great work down the right by Martin Devaney. The winger picked out Leon at the back post with a fine cross but the Spaniard was a yard or so away from putting his volley past Collis and into the far corner.

Things went from bad to worse for the Reds on 35 minutes when Byron Moore raced past Kozluk and in on goal. Kozluk had to put a tackle in but mistimed his attempt to get the ball and Moore went over giving the referee no alternative but to point to the spot. Anthony Elding took the penalty and gave Steele no chance by blasting the ball right into the top corner.

The Reds responded and Stephen Foster had a decent shout for a penalty waved away on 38 minutes when his shot struck Julien Baudet's arm in the area but the referee gave nothing. Devaney then forced Collis into a smart save a minute later with a cheeky shot from the angle after beating his marker on the right flank. Dennis Souza was next to try his luck on 40 minutes when he rose to meet Brian Howard's cross but the ball flew high over Collis' crossbar. Collis was worried again two minutes later when Bobby Hassell flashed one just past the post from distance before Leon tested the keeper with a curler seconds later after leading the Crewe defence a merry dance on the edge of the area.

The second half was all Barnsley and Leon saw a fine shot blocked on the line on 53 minutes after the Crewe defence had failed to deal with Howard's free kick. Leon managed to carve out half a chance from the rebound but this time Collis was quickly down to make a smart save,

Leon turned provider a minute later when his pass sent Rigters in down the left channel but the Dutchman saw his low drive cannon away off a defender and out for a corner. Howard was next to try his luck on 56 minutes when he cut in from the right flank but shot just wide of the post from 20 yards.

Rigters did well to turn Baudet on 62 minutes and looked to race in on goal only to be pulled down by the Crewe defender as he fell. The referee gave nothing and waved away the Dutchman's appeals.

Macken could have pulled one back on 63 minutes with virtually his first touch of the ball as he found himself unmarked down the left hand side from Howard's corner but smashed his shot over the bar from a tight angle.

For all the Reds' dominance and pressure in the second half they were almost caught out on the counter attack on 70 minutes when Jones' corner saw Chris McCready head a little too close for comfort for an underworked Steele.

Steele again had a nervous moment when Crewe broke quickly following more Reds pressure on 73 minutes but Elding planted his shot well wide of the post from 25 yards.

At the other end Iain Hume managed to get in behind Crewe on 75 minutes and lashed his cross past Collis but there was no one there to turn the ball home.

Kayode Odejayi had the ball in the back of the net on 82 minutes after good play by Miguel Mostto in the area only for the referee to unbelievably pull play back for a foul on Leon on the edge of the area. It was a strange decision to say the least and was made even worse by the fact that Leon blazed his free kick wide of the target.

CREWE ALEXANDRA: Collis, Woodards, Jones, Baudet, O'Connor, Elding, Grant (Schumacher 71), McCready, Moore, Pope, Bailey.
Subs: Legzdins, O'Donnell, Abbey, Miller, Daniel, Clements.

BARNSLEY: Steele, Moore, Hassell (Macken 62), Foster, Leon, Souza, Devaney, Hume, Kozluk (Mostto 80), Howard, Rigters (Odejayi 68).
Subs: Letheren, Atkinson, Butterfield, Adam.

Referee: Mr A Taylor
Assistant Referee: Mr MJ Denton
Assistant Referee: Mr I Siddall
Fourth Official: Mr G Hilton

Attendance - 2492