BARNSLEY FOOTBALL CLUB

Eastwood Town 0
Barnsley XI 2 (Oates, Hassell)

Paul Heckingbottom’s U21’s side recorded another pre-season victory away at Eastwood Town. Goals from Rhys Oates and Bobby Hassell were enough to seal the deal for the Tykes as they go unbeaten in their first three games back following this 2-0 win.

“I’m really pleased with the lads’ attitude towards the game,” said Heckingbottom.

The weather attempted to ruin plans for the travelling Reds but the game went ahead after some last-minute work from the groundstaff at Eastwood. 

The home side kicked off and immediately imposed their physical presence on the Barnsley youngsters, however Heckingbottom’s side were up to the challenge, matching their opponents all over the pitch. 

“We tried to play football – keep the ball. We didn’t react to any bad tackles. We stood up to a physical test,” he added. 

Barnsley settled into the game and began to pass the ball well on an uneven surface, holding the majority of possession and making Eastwood chase the game. 

A slick move saw Lewis Clarkson through on goal only to be hacked down by the home-team’s skipper, leaving the referee with no choice but to award the penalty around the half-hour mark. This was then converted by the composed Rhys Oates who struck the ball convincingly down the middle, sending the Eastwood keeper the wrong way.

 

The second-half started in a similar fashion to how the first concluded, with Barnsley playing simply and Eastwood looking pedestrian in areas having to chase the moving ball. 

Eastwood did manage to gain control of the ball on occasion, however chose to penetrate the Tykes’ half by means of ‘route-one’ football – this was easy pickings for a sturdy Barnsley defence who immediately reclaimed possession.

The second-half pressure finally paid off for the Reds as Eastwood again conceded a foul in a dangerous area, giving Barnsley a free-kick with a clear strike on goal. Skipper Bobby Hassell stepped up, at least 25-yards out from goal, yet managed to get the ball over the wall and into the top right hand corner of the Eastwood net for Barnsley’s second.

“All the lads did well. As the game went on more lads got into the game. Good performances all-round,” added Heckingbottom.

The win gives Barnsley’s U21’s a second win on the bounce and a third successive clean sheet, with four goals scored for the Tykes, providing Paul Heckingbottom with plenty of positives to take into their next fixture. 

“We try to set little targets. We gave the lads some video feedback today before the game. It’s part of their learning experience knowing the tactical side of the game. So really pleasing.” Stated Heckingbottom.

Reds XI

1 - Chris Dibble