An entertaining match ended 0-0, with both teams having excellent chances to win the game.
It was a tale of two halves at the Pirelli Stadium as the Reds dominated for large parts of the first half, before the hosts had the better of the second. Some superb goalkeeping from Adam Davies ensured that Paul Heckingbottom's side left Derbyshire with the second successive clean sheet away from home.
Just two minutes in a big chance the way of Adam Armstrong to open the scoring. He made the chance himself by refusing to give up on the ball, sprinting into the middle of the area but his right footed shot went narrowly wide of the post.
Just moments later, Armstrong, but firstly Watkins had further opportunities to open the scoring. Watkins smashed an effort at goal from the right hand side of the area, McLaughlin in the Burton goal spilled the effort into the path of Armstrong, but his snapshot was blocked by Brayford as it was heading in to the empty net.
All inside the first ten minutes, there was a chance again for the Reds to take the lead in an opening spell they had dominated. Ryan Kent was the latest man with the effort but his curling shot inside the box went wide of the post.
The twelfth minute saw the first substitution of the match as Jamie Ward went off injured, being replaced by Tom Flanagan for Burton.
In a continuing theme for the first half, again the next chance fell to the Reds. Kent, who was constantly torturing the opposition on the wing managed to cross into the box and found an unmarked Sam Winnall at the back post, but his control let him down and the chance was gone.
As we approached the half an hour mark, Sam Morsy had two efforts in quick succession from the edge of the box. The first went low and wide of the post, the second had the ‘keeper worried by narrowly going over the bar.
Burton weren’t without chances of their own, however. After Angus MacDonald was shown a harsh yellow card for clipping Akins on the wing, his first foul of the game, the big defender himself had to clear the danger from the resulting free-kick.
His central defence partner Adam Jackson then found himself under pressure moments later but coped superbly from a dangerous ball into the box. He was running towards his own goal but managed to flick a header backwards to divert the trouble.
The half-time whistle went with the scores level at 0-0.
The second half began and looked a different game to the first. The Brewers had used the half-time break to regroup and come back out looking to reassert themselves in the game.
It took just four minutes for Reds ‘keeper Adam Davies to be called into action. Former Barnsley player Chris O’Grady had a snapshot at goal which Davies tipped round the post. Just moments later, Davies was relieved to not be called into action as substitute Tom Flanagan fired an effort over the bar from close range, when it appeared the goal was open and at his mercy.
The next chance was for the hosts too – as they looked try and use home advantage to take the lead. Again, it was former Red O’Grady who was the danger-man as he forced Davies into a superb double save. The ‘keeper was superb in diverting the ball around the post for a corner, which Angus MacDonald then cleared.
As an attendance of 4,913 was announced, Captain Conor Hourihane was close to sending the 1,700 Reds contingent wild behind the net as he volleyed wide of the target. That was to be followed up 10 minutes or so later with Marley Watkins having an effort on target. Scowen was brought down on the wing which got Ben Turner a yellow card. Hourihane swung the ball into the middle and Watkins’ effort was on target but well saved by McLaughlin in The Brewers net.
In a match that was becoming end-to-end, it was the heroics of Adam Davies again that were required to ensure the Reds kept their second away clean sheet in succession.
Firstly, the Reds number one saved from a Turner header inside the area, before sensationally tipping over a point blank range effort from Beavon with his head! The full time whistle was blown shortly after and the Reds secured another good away point to their tally, in a match that had really been a game of two halves.
Full Time: Burton 0-0 Barnsley
Reds XI: Davies (GK), Bree, MacDonald, A. Jackson, Yiadom, Watkins, Hourihane (c), Morsy, Kent, Armstrong, Winnall.
Subs: Townsend (GK), Hammill, Lee, Scowen, Kpekawa, Bradshaw, Williams.
Burton XI: McLaughlin (GK), Brayford, McFadzean, Turner, Williamson, O'Grady, Akins, Dyer, Ward, Palmer, Irvine.
Subs: Bywater (GK), Flanagan, Mousinho, Beavon, Naylor, Miller, Choudhury.
