LIVE FROM OAKWELL STADIUM

BARNSLEY 0
BLACKPOOL 0

IT was tight, keenly fought and scrappy but the Reds definitely had the best of the opening 45 minutes at Oakwell.

Reds manager Mark Robins made one change to the side that beat Cardiff City last time out with on loan defender Ryan Shotton returning to the starting eleven after serving his four match ban. Shotton came into the heart of the Barnsley defence at the expense of Luke Potter. Iain Hume and Emil Hallfredsson were back on the bench after their recent injury problems.

The first sight of goal came inside three minutes as Filipe Teixeira's quick feet beat two Blackpool defenders before prodding the ball forward but Nathan Doyle just could not reach his pass and it skipped through to Matt Gilks.

Barnsley were all over Blackpool from the start and looked to swamp the Seasiders' fluid passing game. Teixeira almost got one on target on 14 minutes as he turned well in the area but crashed a shot against the first defender.

Dickinson then felt he should have done better just moments later as he rose to meet Adam Hammill's corner but the full back planted a header well wide of the goal. Teixeira then flashed one wide of the target from 30 yards after finding space in the Blackpool half again.

The Reds nullified Pool in the opening exchanges with the only real chances falling to the home side. Teixeira again let fly from distance on 26 minutes but his effort flew high over the bar. A Bobby Hassell free kick almost caught out Blackpool on 33 minutes as Stephen Foster rose unmarked but the Reds' skipper could not direct his glancing header goalward.

Foster again had the better of the Blackpool defence three minutes later as he nodded another Hassell free kick down into the six yard box but Shotton could not turn it goalward. Blackpool were rocking on 38 minutes as Teixeira tricked and shot in the area but Stephen Crainey was in the way of his effort.

The little Portuguese winger was in the thick of it again seconds later as he crashed to the ground under Evatt's challenge right on the edge of the box. Carl Dickinson brought a save from Gilks with the free kick.

Blackpool offered absolutely nothing as a goal threat in the opening half and the Reds defended magnificently to repel whatever the visitors could throw at them in the final third. Luke Steele was a virtual spectator.

Gilks was left stranded on 44 minutes as Dickinson broke to the byline to fizz the ball across the face of goal but there was a little too much on his cross for the onrushing Barnsley attack.

A foul by Evatt on Jon Macken gave the Reds another half chance right in the final minute of the half. Dickinson rifled the free kick past the wall but into a crowded penalty area and the chance went begging.

BARNSLEY: Steele, Hassell, Shotton, Foster, Dickinson, Teixeira, Colace, Doyle, Hammill, Macken, Bogdanovic.
Subs: Preece, Anderson, Butterfield, Potter, Hallfredsson, Gray, Hume.

BLACKPOOL: Gilks, Crainey, Southern, Evatt, Burgess, Ormerod, Vaughan, Baptiste, Campbell, Adam, Butler.
Subs: Rachubka, Eardley, Bouazza, Euell, Demontagnac, Husband, Dobbie.

$REFEREE:
Jarnail Singh (Middlesex)
ASSISTANT REFEREES:
Jeremy Simpson (Lancashire) and David Storrie (South Yorkshire)
FOURTH OFFICIAL
Mark Griffiths (South Yorkshire)

Match Report By Rob Knowles.