Rampant Reds put four past Oxford to ensure a winning start to their 2018/19 season.
Two goals in each half meant Daniel Stendel’s first competitive match in charge of Barnsley ended with three points and a standing ovation.
The opening was lively, as both sides enjoyed half chances, the best coming when Brad Potts’ shot was well blocked after some cracking work down the left hand side from Mamadou Thiam.
This was very much a sign of things to come as Thiam ran riot with two goals in the space of nine minutes.
His first came thanks to a fantastic Reds break. Adam Davies rolled the ball to Dimitri Cavare who drove past the halfway line and beat two Oxford defenders before finding Thiam. The striker cut inside onto his right foot and drove a low shot in to the bottom left hand corner to make it 1-0 the Reds.
In the aftermath of the goal, Sam Smith replaced Samir Carruthers due to an injury to the U’s midfielder.
Stendel’s men saw their lead doubled on the half hour mark when Kieffer Moore won the ball on the halfway line and a wave of Reds players swarmed forward. Potts picked up the ball and waited for Thiam before laying off the Frenchman whose finish was a carbon copy of his first goal.
HALF TIME: Reds 2-0 Oxford
The start to the second half was much slower than the first as both sides struggled to get going.
Rob Hall's introduction for Oxford made the visitors look more of a threat as he carved out a few half chances for his side, but all to no avail.
Barnsley seemingly sparked back in to life when Kenny Dougall picked up a misplaced goal kick and hit the ball first time from the half way line, the keeper atoned for his error and back-pedalling, pulled off a stunning save on the line to deny Dougall a debut goal.
However, a third goal was soon to come for the Reds as they struck on the break yet again. Started deep inside their own half, it was Potts who charged forward, he found substitute George Moncur wide right, he jinked into space edge of the box before finding Alex Mowatt who lost his footing just inside the area but Potts picked up the ball and the midfielder lashed the ball into the top corner to put the game beyond Oxford.
The icing on the cake was a fourth goal, one minute from time. McGeehan’s ball back across the box was turned in by Victor Adeboyejo to give the young striker a goal on his first team debut.
A perfect start for the Reds sees them end the weekend top of the table.
FULL TIME: Reds 4-0 Oxford United
Barnsley FC: Davies (GK), Cavaré, Pinnock, Lindsay, Pinillos, Potts, Mowatt (McGeehan), Dougall, Thiam (Moncur), Bradshaw, Moore (Adeboyejo).
