Our U18s were beaten 2-0 at the Oakwell Training Ground by Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday lunchtime in the Professional Development League.
The loss comes after a run of nine unbeaten games for Tom Harban’s side, with this clash being between the division’s top two sides prior to kick-off.
Barnsley asserted themselves on the encounter in the early exchanges, winning their battles across the pitch.
However, Wednesday began to grow into the game and got their reward after 21 minutes. The away side won the ball back in the middle of the park, and Leojo Davidson burst forward and curled an effort from the edge of the area into the bottom right-hand corner.
The Reds looked to mount a response before the break, with Josiah Dyer having a chance to put Barnsley level, but his attempt on the swivel from inside the area went narrowly wide of the post.
HALF-TIME: Barnsley 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday
The second half saw Barnsley have much more joy on the flanks, with Ben Hall and Hayden Pickard proving to be dangerous outlets going forward.
The Reds were persistent in the attack, with Keegan Hartley almost forcing an error in the Owls’ back line through relentless pressing, but the Wednesday ‘keeper Jack Hall did well to avoid conceding an equaliser on 53 minutes.
As the game grew, Barnsley looked more and more dangerous on the attack via the flanks, with Hall seeing plenty of the ball going forward but his efforts couldn’t trouble his namesake in the Wednesday goal.
With Barnsley pushing men forward in search of an equaliser, the Owls broke away in the final minute of the game on the counter-attack. Rogan Ravenhill did well to save the first effort, but another Wednesday player was there to stab it home into an empty net.
That signalled the last significant action of the match and consigned Tom Harban’s side to their first defeat in nine.
FULL-TIME: Barnsley 0-2 Sheffield Wednesday
REDS XI: Ravenhill, Hall, Pickard, Doyle, Murchison, Goucher, Nejman (C), Hickingbottom, Smith, Hartley, Dyer.
Subs: Benjamin, Lacey, Makiessi, T Chapman, Joof.