Our U21s suffered a 2-1 defeat at home to Birmingham City in the Professional Development League on Friday afternoon.
Aiden Marsh, making his comeback from a fractured foot, gave us a first half lead, but the visitors snatched all three points after the interval with goals from Callum Sullivan and Brandon Khela.
Despite the disappointing result, there were plenty of positives to take from the encounter for Tom Harban – most notably the return of the aforementioned Marsh, as well as fellow long-term absentees Kareem Hassan-Smith and Charlie Winfield, the latter of whom has been sidelined for a year with an ACL injury.
In a keenly contested opening exchange, it was City who came closest to breaking the deadlock as Paul Cooper was forced to make two smart stops, first up high to tip a long range effort over the bar before getting down low to smother another attempt.
After a period of sustained Reds pressure, we eventually edged in front as Marsh confidently slotted home from close range, finding the bottom corner with his trusty left foot.
The 19-year-old had a glorious opportunity moments later to double his tally from virtually the same blade of grass, but saw his strike blocked by the legs of Zach Jeacock after being picked out by Winfield.
HALF-TIME: Barnsley 1-0 Birmingham City
The Reds made a bright start to the second half and Marsh’s relentless pressing forced Jeacock into an error on the edge of his own box, but the Blues’ stopper was able to get back just in time to block our striker’s effort and spare his blushes.
An almost carbon copy incident 25-yards from goal presented another chance for Barnsley to put the game beyond doubt, and this time it was substitute Jack Butterfill who was left frustrated as his opportunistic strike bounced off the foot of the post.
We continued to pile forward in search of that elusive second, with wing-backs Hayden Pickard and Alex Anaman firing several balls across the box but to no avail.
Eventually, the Reds were made to rue those missed chances as Sullivan bundled his way beyond a couple of challenges before lashing in from an acute angle to level the scores 12 minutes from time.
The turnaround was complete in the dying embers as Khela’s long range drive took a wicked deflection off the unfortunate Will Lancaster and sailed into the top corner, wrong-footing Cooper and sending City back home with a rather fortuitous three points.
FULL-TIME: Barnsley 1-2 Birmingham City
REDS XI: Cooper (GK), Hassan-Smith (Anaman, 60), Trialist, Lancaster (C), Ariely, Winfield (Pickard, 46), Hartley, Nejman, Oduor (T Chapman, 70), Trialist, Marsh (Butterfill, 60).
Not used: Ravenhill (GK).
