Barnsley U23s claimed a 4-2 victory over Bristol City as Paul Harsley’s side finished their Professional Development League campaign in style.
A first half double from Victor Adeboyejo was added to after the break by Amir Berkovits and substitute Tommy Willard, while the Robins struck through Tin Plavotic and Saikou Janneh in either half.
Bristol City started brighter, and Theo Llewellyn stung the hands of Trialist with a long range pile-driver in the opening stages.
The young Reds began to grow into the game and had an opportunity to take the lead inside 12 minutes. Sam Fielding won possession and played the ball wide for Ben Williams, who cut inside and found Adeboyejo but the striker’s shot was deflected into the arms of James Carey.
But the hosts soon made the breakthrough as Plavotic rose highest to head home George Nurse’s corner, despite the best efforts of Williams to keep the ball out on the line.
Adeboyejo was then denied by a flying Carey save before the young marksman fired Barnsley level with a thunderous strike from the edge of the box that cannoned in off the underside of the bar on 26 minutes.
Momentum was now with the visitors, who almost took the lead when Adeboyejo combined with Louis Walsh on the right flank and found Berkovits who fired a shot across the face of goal.
Berkovits was involved yet again as Harsley’s side took the lead just before half-time as he played an inch perfect pass for Adeboyejo, who timed his run to perfection and curled the ball calmly into the bottom corner.
It was almost three just after the interval as Berkovits cut in from the left flank and drilled a low shot towards goal only for Carey to claw the effort out of the bottom corner.
Walsh then burst down the right wing and flashed a dangerous cross into the six-yard box, but Adeboyejo just couldn’t quite stretch enough to make contact.
Bristol City almost netted an equaliser against the run of play as Nurse’s corner caused mayhem in the Barnsley box, which the young Reds managed to clear after a crazy goalmouth scramble that saw two efforts blocked on the line.
The visitors eventually made their pressure count as Berkovits latched onto a through ball from Adeboyejo before firing underneath Carey and into the far bottom corner to put breathing space between themselves and the hosts.
But the Robins made for a tense finale as Janneh headed home from close range after Barnsley failed to clear their lines from a cross with five minutes remaining.
With Bristol City committing more players forward in search of an equaliser, the Reds broke and Berkovits found Willard who raced clear and showed excellent composure to slot the ball past Carey with the last kick of the game to round of another fine away performance.
REDS XI: Trialist, Trialist (Wardle, 61), Trialist, Smith (c), Williams, Walsh (Willard, 81), Trialist, Fielding (Gagen, 87), Trialist, Berkovits, Adeboyejo
Not used: Lomax, Greenfield
ROBINS XI: Carey, Ali, Nurse, Bakinson, Plavotic, Smith (c), Akpobire, Llewellyn, Janneh, Richards, Holden
Not used: Turner-Williams, Sainsbury, Harrison, Day, Hinds
