Barnsley vs Bristol City. Sky Bet Championship.
Oakwell StadiumAttendance12,178.
Report and highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash at Oakwell.
Saturday 2 November 2019 10:18, UK
Cauley Woodrow struck deep into stoppage time to earn Barnsley a 2-2 comeback draw against Bristol City on Friday night and lift his side off the bottom of the Sky Bet Championship.
Ashley Williams - netting his first goal for the club - and Andi Weimann struck either side of half-time at Oakwell to put the away side in control. But Aapo Halme pulled one back for Barnsley before Woodrow in the 94th minute to earn his side a point.
It was enough to lift Barnsley from the bottom of the table, putting them a point clear of Stoke - who play on Monday night against West Brom live on Sky Sports. Bristol City were seconds away from going second in the table, but will have to make do with fifth heading into the weekend.
Barnsley were still without a permanent manager following the sacking of Daniel Stendel last month, but started brightly in Adam Murray's fourth game in caretaker charge. They even had the better of the early chances, as Mallik Wilks and then Conor Chaplin forced Daniel Bentley into fine reflex saves.
Poor defending was their undoing again, however. Bambo Diaby gave away a poor free-kick for a shirt tug on Marley Watkins, and Niclas Eliasson - on as a first-half substitute for injured captain Josh Brownhill - whipped a free-kick right into the six-yard box for Williams to head in. The former Swansea and Everton man was simply given far too much space.
Barnsley pushed again for an equaliser in the second half but a set-piece proved their undoing again on 71 minutes. This time it was a corner as Eliasson crossed one into the near post, where Weimann arrived to drop a header across goal and just inside the far post.
On a night of set-piece goals, Barnsley quickly grabbed one back. Again it came from a corner as big centre-back Halme, on loan from Leeds, got across his man to head in on 77 minutes.
That goal helped rally Barnsley, who pushed and pushed and finally got their reward in the fourth and final minute of added time. A fine team move saw the ball land at the feet of Woodrow who poked into an empty net to send the home fans wild.
Barnsley caretaker boss Adam Murray: "I prayed it was coming. I think the bodies we put forward and the pressure we put on last 15 minutes, you always hope one will fall in.
"A couple of ricochets didn't quite go our way tonight and that's probably been the story of our season. We've not had the rub of the green and a bit of lucky at times when we needed it, but maybe we got a bit in the end there."
Bristol City boss Lee Johnson: "We've got 45 seconds to see the game out. It was a difficult game in difficult conditions. It wasn't one for the football purists, it was a battle.
"I felt we should have been in much more control at 2-0 up and of course individuals have got to do their jobs if we are serious about being successful this season. That element of it is really important, that game management. I'm very disappointed with some of the performances in the last 15 to 20 minutes."
They may have lost the lead late on, but on a night lacking in individual quality in many areas Bentley made two brilliant saves for Bristol City in the first half to deny Barnsley. Without those, it could have been a very different night altogether for both sides.
Barnsley host Stoke in a 3pm kick-off next Saturday, while Bristol City head to Cardiff the following day - Sunday, November 9 - in a midday kick-off that is live on Sky Sports Football.
