Cameron Thompson’s penalty was enough to see off Hull City as Barnsley U23s registered their sixth victory in a row to climb to second in the Professional Development League.
Having been bundled to the ground with 11 minutes remaining, Thompson stepped up to smash the spot-kick into the net and seal three points for the young Reds on Tuesday afternoon.
A close margin of victory was fitting for a game that was otherwise even and largely devoid of genuine goalscoring chances.
The most notable moment of the first half came when Steve Simpson thought he had given the Reds the lead by turning home Jordan Green’s low cross at the back post with half an hour gone, but the linesman’s flag was up.
With neither side able to fashion any openings, the game became increasingly scrappy, and both teams exchanged unsuccessful long-distance free-kicks.
It was the Tigers’ effort that was closest, with Ahmed Salam forcing a catch, albeit a comfortable one, from Corey Addai.
HALF-TIME: Barnsley 0-0 Hull City
The second period started in much the same vein as the first had ended, with chances still hard to come by, but that did begin to change shortly after the hour mark.
As the Reds began to play with more fluency and looked to seize a hold on the game, Thompson almost gave them the lead when he had a close-range shot blocked by Salam after the Tigers failed to clear a corner.
However, there was precious little time remaining and a stalemate looked the most likely outcome until Thompson finally made the crucial breakthrough that maintained Barnsley’s victorious run.
Hull substitute James Berry almost netted a late equaliser as he raced onto Max Sheaf’s pass with five minutes remaining, but the Reds were granted a let-off as he dragged his effort wide of the upright.
FULL-TIME: Barnsley 1-0 Hull City
REDS XI: Addai (GK), Helliwell, Ariely, Winfield, Green (Hassan-Smith, 71), Binns, Christie-Davies, Calligan, Simpson, Simoes, Thompson.
Not used: Kendrick (GK), Nicholson, Lancaster, Sherlock.
HULL XI: Robson (GK), Jacob, Fleming, Hickey, Arthur, Smith, Sheaf, Wood, Chadwick, Hinds, Salam.
Subs: Foulkes (GK), Lupano, Leake, Snelgrove, Berry.