In an evenly-contested clash in South Wales, the Reds leave the Liberty Stadium with a valuable point and continue to climb the Sky Bet Championship table.

Just as they did in October at Oakwell, Swansea and Barnsley played out an entertaining draw to signal the end of the decade and of 2019. 

Despite both sides hitting the frame of the goal in amongst a number of chances for each team, the scoreline remained goalless as the Reds registered their first clean sheet since August and ended the calendar year as they started it, with a 0-0 draw on their travels.

Head Coach, Gerhard Struber was able to name an unchanged starting lineup for the 3pm kick-off, with captain Alex Mowatt shaking off illness to lead out his upwardly mobile side in West Glamorgan against a Swans side in touching distance of the playoff places.

The opening 10 minutes saw both sides looking to impose their own game but it was Barnsley looking the sharper of the two with some fluid football getting them into good forward areas but sadly the end-product was lacking. 

It wasn't until approaching the half-hour mark that goalmouth action arrived and after some good stuff from Luke Thomas wide right, the ball found itself ricocheting around the box to be eventually steered home by the in-form Conor Chaplin from close-range. Unfortunately, the diminutive striker was half a yard offside and the officials had spotted that. 

Soon afterwards it was the hosts who had their own moment at the other end as Sam Surridge was denied point blank by a magnificent Sami Radlinger save to keep the game scoreless. 

The game had livened up by now and after Radlinger swept up outside his box to clear, the ball fell nicely for Surridge, 45-yards from goal and he tried to bend home with the net unguarded but his shot landed on top of the crossbar. 

The home side were in charge towards the break and the half time whistle came at an opportune moment for Struber's side. 

HALF-TIME: Swansea 0-0 Barnsley

Barnsley came blasting out of the blocks from the restart and both Cauley Woodrow and Aapo Halme saw efforts blocked, last-second on the edge of the Swansea box after some intricate football had worked room for them.

It was all Barnsley at this stage and Mowatt drove down the left before seeing his inviting low cross flicked on towards goal by Mads Andersen and at the far post, Jacob Brown slid in to try and divert the ball home but it struck the upright much to Swansea's relief. 

Substitutes Mike Bähre and Patrick Schmidt combined nicely on 66 minutes with the former slipping in the Austrian striker to coolly finish from inside the box but again, the assistant's flag was raised for offside. 

Home 'keeper Freddie Woodman pulled off a top drawer fingertip stop to thwart an Andersen header as the Reds' pressure continued before this time Chaplin got on the end of a Bähre through-ball to finish low beyond Woodman and yet again, look up to find the assistant flagging for offside once again!

Radlinger made an outstanding low save from five yards out to deny the impressive Andre Ayew from a Matt Grimes corner kick as the Welsh side pushed for the opener approaching the last 10 minutes.

The last real opportunity arrived as we entered stoppage time as Clarke Oduor, once again impressing at full back, bamboozled his marker inside the box but his rasping shot went a foot wide with Reds teammates begging for a pass. 

It was another decent performance from Barnsley as they made it five games unbeaten and are now in the relegation zone only by virtue of goal difference with rivals around them losing their respective fixtures.

The Reds are back in action this Thursday at Derby County in a 7.45pm kick-off. 

FULL-TIME: Swansea 0-0 Barnsley

Radlinger, J.Williams, Andersen, Diaby, Oduor, Halme, Mowatt (Bähre), Thomas, Brown (Schmidt), Woodrow, Chaplin.

Unused: Collins, Sibbick, Dougall, Styles, Simôes.