Our U18s cruised to the top of the Professional Development League with a sensational 5-0 victory at Coventry City on Saturday.

Goals from Lloyd Smith, Theo Chapman, Charlie Hickingbottom, and a brace from Fabio Jalo were too much for the Sky Blues.

Jalo got his and Barnsley’s first of the afternoon after just a quarter of an hour, showing his composure in a one on one before slotting past City keeper Daniel Rachel.

The Reds almost had two in two minutes after a corner swung in by Ben Hall found the head of Danny Benson, but it was chalked off by the referee due to an apparent foul much to the dismay of the visiting players and coaches.

Barnsley continued to be the far better team and maybe should have had an extra man advantage when Coventry captain Fionn O’Brien cropped Smith when he was last man however, the referee only brandished a yellow card.

Smith had the last laugh 10 minutes later as he bagged the Reds’ second of the encounter, confidently toe poking beyond the keeper as the ball bobbled in the six-yard box from a Hall corner.

Just after the half hour mark, the points were effectively sealed following a clinical counter-attack, which started in the Barnsley box and led to Jalo getting his second of the game and a third for the Reds.

Coventry rarely mustered an attack in the first half, with their best chance coming from a long throw on the right finding defender Abel Alabi, but his header flew over the bar.

HALF-TIME: Coventry City 0-3 Barnsley

After receiving the hairdryer treatment at half-time, City were a different team in the second half with Reds Keeper David Aziaya pulling off some incredible saves to keep his clean sheet intact.

Coventry had a great opportunity to get back into the game, but it could only rattle the crossbar from a Sam Rodber volley just inside the box.

Barnsley made it four on the hour mark when a low cross from Keegan Hartley found Chapman in the box, and he made no mistake as he crashed his left-foot strike in off the underside of the crossbar.

Our youngsters controlled the game so professionally that the beleaguered hosts had no time, space or chance to get a foothold in the contest, and it seemed inevitable that a fifth goal would arrive.

That domination eventually told as Hickingbottom nodded home from Hayden Pickard’s free-kick to put the gloss on a magnificent away performance, ensuring Tom Harban’s side ended the day top of the table.

FULL-TIME: Coventry City 0-5 Barnsley

REDS XI: Aziaya, Hall, Doyle, Benson, Pickard, Hickingbottom, Goucher, T Chapman, Hartley, Smith, Jalo.

Subs: Ravenhill, Joof, Makiessi, Benjamin, Dyer.