This is a long one because I can't say enough about how happy and impressed I am with the team's effort today. So with apologies to those who find long posts annoying, here goes: Really happy with the way they fought today. They couldn't win with beautiful football, not today, not at Wycombe away, and once they figured that out the likes of Cosgrove and Pines began to muscle Wycombe out of the way and we just took what we wanted, Wycombe couldn't do ANYTHING about it. Cosgrove changed the game singlehanded in the last 5 minutes of the first half by first getting right in the faces of Wycombe's defence (which they didn't like, probably because they think they're the only ones allowed to get in peoples' face, and remember that Wycombe were the ones who Cosgrove scored that goal against at our place when he barged their keeper and scored, they already didn't like him and it didn't take much for him to mess with their heads), then with half Wycombe's team on yellow cards, the space the likes of Kane needed to boss the midfield opened up. Grant's goal was full of quality. I don't think people realised at the time how good it really was. Way above the standard you normally see down here at this level. Held off his man, got himself between the man and the ball, Wycombe thought he couldn't do anything with it, he turned and blew the top of the net clean off. He was completely unplayable at that exact moment, and I was impressed with him whenever he got the ball in their half. I want to congratulate the staff for having the courage to bring Grant on in place of Connell in the first place, had it gone wrong we would all have been blaming that substitution. Who here would have dared bring on a player they didn't really know for Connell in a match like this? Not me. Connell wasn't having the best game and had been giving it away regularly in the minutes beforehand, so it was no surprise to see him go off, but given his stature at the club, what was at stake, it was surprising, as was his replacement. It was a very good substitution. We made a lot of them, lately. I enjoyed the running of Marshy. Just a small role coming on for Cosgrove, who I might name my MotM, only a little lad but he put himself where it hurt, a little wasp. I said elsewhere he reminded me of Paul Dickov. I have said before that Wycombe are THE best team in the last 10 years when it comes to the dark arts in the lower leagues, and while they are not quite what they were, we went to their place, took them on at their own game and humiliated them. I found their fans complaining about our players conning the ref to be pricelessly ironic. If there's one thing Wycombe have been known by in terms of how they play over the last decade, it's cheating and getting away with it. Both teams were at it today, but Wycombe were not as good at it as Barnsley, possibly because they lost their heads sooner, maybe because they were already hurt about Cosgrove's goal against them at Oakwell, another game in which they spent 95 minutes doing anything they could, honestly or dishonestly, to stop us from playing. We can win pretty, but we've now shown we can also win ugly. Very, very well done Barnsley. I'm incredibly impressed.
I'm not sure anyone knew for sure who scored first of all. Secondly, they looked all-business, as if they had just scored a goal while already 4-0 down, like they were not happy that it was only 2-2. I really don't think it has anything to do with Pines and their feelings towards him, although it would have been nice for them to acknowledge his first goal.
Good things We won and we won ugly. Wycombe are dark arts masters and we stood up against it well. Previous Barnsley teams wouldn't have. Grants goal was a cracker. Kane was excellent and easily the best player on the pitch. Behind twice and came back twice. Then went ahead. We never used to do that. Making a habit of it now. which leads onto Bad Things Yet another goal conceded in first 20 minutes! Barnsley's best player Connell isn't the player he was. He can still pick a pass but I suspect he's still carrying an injury. Hate saying it but he was poor today. But he wasn't the only one. Only second time this defence have played together and it showed. Looked disorganised and unsure of their roles. Their second goal was a prime example. But its a good away win against a team who get in your faces and like to con the ref. Sets it up nicely for Tuesday night. #COYR
