Daggers does it again
Attendance: 9,932
Referee: K. Stroud
Reds: Steele, Kennedy, Hassell, Cranie, Golbourne, Wiseman (Stones 64), Etuhu, Perkins, Mellis (O’Brien 58), Harewood, Dagnall (Foster 76).
Subs: Cracknell, Dawson, Hobbs, Stewart, Cairney, Faye.
Hull: Jakupovic, Rosenior, Chester, Koren, McShane, Olofinjana (Simpson 60), Bruce, Quinn, Brady, Meyler, Proschwitz.
Teams
The referee’s whistle brought a tremendous roar from the thousand-strong travelling Tykes, who never stopped singing for their side.
When Golbourne set O’Brien free away down the right, the Scot showed some net skill as he jinked into the area but lofted his effort over the bar when he could have put the tie to bed.
Steele came to the rescue with a neat low save to his right from Prochwitz’s header when he glanced a left-wing delivery into the near post.
The Reds were now oozing confidence with O’Brien, Etuhu and Perkins looking strong in midfield and Kennedy keeping calm at the back.
Barnsley had the momentum and were now taking the game to Hull. Harewood and Dagnall were linking up well down the right, and against the former went close from a tight angle.
With Scott Wiseman suffering from cramp having not featured for a while, John Stones replaced the former Hull man at right-wing-back. Simpson cut inside on 69 to drill wide, the Tigers were firing blanks but Barnsley were growing stronger. And would you know it, Barnsley took the lead after four bites of the cherry on 70 minutes. O’Brien saw his shot saved by the ‘keeper, the rebound fell to Golbourne but again the ‘keeper recovered only for Chester to block his second attempt – thankfully, at the fourth time of asking up popped Dagnall at the far post, who had created the initial chance, to smash into the net.
Koren sliced wide when he suddenly found himself in one-on-one, at the other end Harewood’s deflected shot found the hands of the City ‘keeper.
Jim O’Brien made a welcome return from injury two minutes before the hour as he replaced Jacob Mellis in midfield. The Tigers made their first change of the tie on the hour with Jay Simpson coming on for Seyi Olofinjana.
Robbie Brady tried to catch Steele out on 53 minutes with a vicious 35-yard free-kick. His effort dipped at the last minute but Steele got a strong connection to punch the ball over the bar.
In the first few minutes of the second half the Reds started in a more positive fashion with Harewood latching onto Golbourne’s dink forward but his effort, although powerful, was straight at Jakupovic.
Second half
Barnsley’s best chance of the match was a bit of magic of Kelvin Etuhu as he thundered a 30-yard drive at goal that had Jakupovic scrambling away to his left but the ball skimmed the roof of the net.
The first shot for the Reds came on 42 minutes as Harewood drifted in from the left but his strike deflected out for a corner that came to nothing.
Following a penalty appeal from the hosts after Etuhu tackled Quinn in the area, McShane saw his header blocked on the line by his own man Olofinjana. The Reds were yet to register a shot on goal with 40 minutes on the watch.
Another opportunity fell Hull’s way when Olofinjana planted his header wide of the target from six yards – the midfielder connected well with Rosenior’s cross but he should have scored.
City skipper Koren curled in a decent 25-yard free-kick on 27 minutes but Steele did make light work of it, the Reds were just about holding on as the Tigers bombed forward at every opportunity.
The Reds were struggling to get hold of the ball and Proschwitz took advantage of a loose ball but thankfully his low drive drifted wide if Steele’s right-hand post.
Former Tykes loanee Paul McShane drifted forward before hammering low at his former Manchester United team-mate Luke Steele from 30 yards with 13 minutes.
The first ten minutes were uneventful to say the least, with the hosts firing in the first shot of the match on 11 minutes but Proschwitz couldn’t find the target from ten yards.
Chris Dagnall smashed in his third goal in three games to fire Barnsley into the fifth round of the F.A. Cup. It wasn’t pretty at first as the Reds took a while to get going, but their resilience, belief and unity carried them through into the next round.
Reds 1 (Dagnall)
Hull City 0
