Barnsley vs Shrewsbury Town. Sky Bet League One.
Oakwell StadiumAttendance13,426.
Friday 19 April 2019 19:48, UK
Barnsley continued their push for automatic promotion from League One with a 2-1 home victory against Shrewsbury.
Alex Mowatt put the hosts ahead midway through the first half with a superb strike but Tyrese Campbell drew Shrewsbury level with a similarly memorable effort before the break.
However, Jacob Brown struck 10 minutes after the restart to put Barnsley back in front and the Tykes held on for a win that keeps them two points ahead of third-placed Portsmouth and fourth-placed Sunderland, despite the Black Cats' 2-0 win over Doncaster.
The visitors had the first big chance inside three minutes. Campbell threaded a smart ball behind the defence to Shaun Whalley, whose initial shot was saved by Adam Davies before his follow-up strike was cleared off the line by Adam Jackson.
It was Barnsley who would take the lead though, with Mowatt providing the breakthrough in the 23rd minute. The 24-year-old collected the ball 25 yards out, weaved into space and released a stunning curled effort past Jonathan Mitchell.
Shrewsbury replied with a brilliant goal themselves in the 38th minute, Campbell latching onto a loose ball and striking a fierce volley which nestled into the bottom corner.
Campbell nearly doubled his tally just before half-time but, after Whalley's pass had sent him through, his shot was matched by Davies.
Barnsley were back on the attack at the start of the second half and Cameron McGeehan almost restored their lead with a shot that rattled the crossbar.
The Tykes did not have to wait long to get their noses back in front though, with Mike Bahre found Brown inside the box and he hammered his shot into the back of the net.
Shrewsbury nearly found a late equaliser when substitute Fejiri Okenabirhie raced through but he saw his shot stopped by Davies as Barnsley held on for a vital win.
