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Season 03 – 2008/2009

Angus reflected on a successful season, somewhat disappointed to have just missed out on the playoffs but very pleased to have improved significantly on his debut season in charge. Clearly his goal for the new season would be to make a strong promotion challenge and his Chairman supported this objective by tabling a handsome increase in the annual wage budget. The manager’s focus over the summer was to try to strengthen his squad to give sufficient quality and depth to achieve his objective. Having reviewed the current squad and their performance over the previous season he decided that a number of players would be released - Fadiga, Togwell, Wright and Colgan from the senior squad and half a dozen youngsters from the youth team. Duncan Ferguson decided that his battered body could take no more and he hung up his boots. The manager also lost two players that he really wanted to keep with Holsen and McIndoe refusing new deals and joining Derby and Reading respectively.

By the time of their first league match at home to Crewe just three new faces had arrived at Oakwell. The experience of Nicky Butt would undoubtedly be of benefit, the midfielder happy to leave Newcastle after being frozen out of the first team for all of the previous season. Young Hungarian prospect Zoltan Stieber was loaned from Aston Villa for three months and long-term target Hamdi Salihi was finally granted a work permit after a long appeal process. The 24-year-old Albanian represented a gamble but Angus was confident that he would prove to be a potent attacking threat. After drawing their opener 1-1 the Barnsley manager was back in the free-transfer market, securing the signature of Czech Republic international striker Vratislav Lokvenc from Salzburg. The 34-year-old scored on his debut, his strike the only goal in the game at home to Leicester. He was on target again at Millwall, his effort mere consolation in a poor 3-1 defeat.

Salihi got off the mark in a thrilling match at home to Fulham, scoring a hat trick as the home side allowed a 4-1 lead to evaporate, the match ending in an extraordinary 4-4 draw. A busy month of league action continued with a 2-0 defeat at Ipswich as the manager began some tactical tinkering to get the best out of his squad. Wins over Burnley and Preston indicated that his efforts might be producing results as he looked to get his team playing with a little more width than they had last season. As well as seven league games August also saw the team compete in the 1st round of the Carling Cup, gaining a comfortable 2-0 win at home to Rochdale.

September saw their welcome upturn in form continue with league victories over Reading, Bristol City and Colchester as well as a narrow 1-0 win at home to Scunthorpe in the Carling Cup. The 3-0 triumph at home to Reading at the start of the month was a particularly good performance but it did spell bad news for Lokvenc as he picked up a knock that sidelined him for several matches. A midweek trip to Leeds a few days later saw the derby match end goalless and the next weekend the TV cameras were at the Withdean Stadium for a lively 2-2 draw with Brighton. The team then reeled off three straight wins, two in the league and one in the Cup and ended the month holding 4th place in the division.

International matches meant a delayed start to the October fixture list and Angus took advantage of the lull to focus training on another tactical tweak that he wanted to implement. His idea was to have Salihi drop off as a withdrawn striker and at the same time have his two wide midfielders push up to give a 4-2-3-1 formation. He employed this at Stoke and was disappointed to return on the wrong end of a 2-0 scoreline but he decided to persevere. The midweek visit of struggling Southampton produced a goalless draw and another defeat followed at home to Cardiff, the 1-0 scoreline particularly galling.

It was Carling Cup action next with a visit from a Chelsea side that were enduring a terrible start to their Premiership campaign. Having lifted the title last season they had looked anything but secure this time around and three defeats in eight games saw them in a dreadful 14th place in the table. The Londoners looked in determined mood early on and with his players seemingly star struck they scored twice in the first ten minutes to leave Barnsley reeling. The home side managed to ride the storm and kept them at bay for the remainder of the half. Once safely back in the dressing room Angus was quick to try to repair some of the damage. His half time message was simple – “You are giving these guys way too much respect. Get back out there, get in amongst them and rattle their cage a bit.” His words seemed to have an immediate effect, Lokvenc pulling a goal back within five minutes of the restart. The home side continued to press and with their confidence growing as the half progressed the Chelsea rearguard looked more and more unsteady. With just four minutes of normal time remaining Salihi found an equaliser to take the game into extra time. By this time it seemed to Angus that the visitors were hanging on for a replay so he urged his players to go for the jugular. When Malky Mackay was bundled over in the penalty area after going up for a corner the veteran defender picked himself up and calmly despatched the resulting spot kick to give his side a famous victory.

The Cup win proved to be the only bright spot in an otherwise disastrous month with 1-0 and 2-0 defeats at Birmingham and Crystal Palace respectively leaving Angus convinced that his tactical experiment had been a very bad idea. By month end the team had slipped down to 12th place and in danger of entering a hard-to-break losing streak.

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He decided to go back to basics for the visit of Wolves and sent his team out in a classic 4-4-2 formation, the players immediately looking more comfortable and securing a decent 1-1 draw. It was back to Carling Cup action next and a trip to the Midlands to face another Premiership side in the shape of Aston Villa. The team was sent out with a pretty defensive game plan and the home side were unable to find a way through a determined rearguard. The game remained goalless for 120 minutes and was eventually decided in favour of Villa on penalties.

A trip to Hull was next for a televised Sunday match and despite having Pouso sent off with 20 minutes remaining they managed to obtain a reasonable 1-1 draw. The improvement continued the next weekend when visiting Notts Forest were torn apart in the first half and reached the break three goals behind. The promotion hopefuls never looked like mounting a comeback as Barnsley shut up shop and gained their first win in eight games. The midweek trip to struggling Carlisle looked like ending in tears as the home side scored twice in the opening 20 minutes. Salihi pulled a goal back before half time and in the second period the visitors made increasingly frantic efforts to get back on terms and were finally rewarded deep in stoppage time when captain Reid headed home a corner to secure a 2-2 draw.

Angus was aware that the visit of league leaders Derby would present his side with a stern challenge and he was more than happy with 0-0 draw. His team gave the visiting keeper a good workout all afternoon and Lee Camp responded so well that he was voted man of the match. The Tuesday evening jaunt to Watford also ended goalless thanks to a solid performance by centre backs Reid and Taylor and a penalty save by keeper Andrew Moody. The 21-year-old had deputised manfully when Steve Harper picked up an injury in the win over Chelsea and had kept his place since. He kept out another penalty at Crewe in the final game of the month but his efforts weren’t enough to prevent a 1-0 defeat as the Tykes lost for the first time in 7 games.

Moody lost his place in the first eleven for the visit of Leicester at the start of December after suffering a knee injury in training. He was joined in the treatment room by Patrick Berger, Tony McParland and Nicky Wroe leaving Angus short of left sided midfielders. His solution was to move Cesnauskis over from the right wing and play Salihi wide right with Nardiello coming in up front. Having found themselves a goal down after five minutes the manager was pleased to see his team recover in the second half to carve out a 2-1 lead, Nardeillo and Wurtz the players on target. Unfortunately they failed to hold on to their lead and the visitors secured a late equaliser as the game ended in a 2-2 draw.

Their 7th draw in the last 9 league matches followed in midweek at home to Millwall. The team found themselves two goals down midway through the first half only for Salihi to score twice in two minutes to square the game. An extraordinary first half concluded with a late strike from top scorer Ben May to put the visitors back in front at half time. Martin Taylor came up with another equaliser quarter of an hour from time to grab a point but once again Angus was left frustrated by his team’s seeming inability to win a football match.

The turning point in their match at Fulham at the weekend proved to be the dismissal of right back Danny Mills after 50 minutes. By that time the home side were two goals to the good and looking like they could close out the game. When Angus saw them go to three at the back he urged his wingers to hug the touchlines and stretch the play as wide as possible, with impressive results. Four unanswered goals gave Barnsley their first league victory since mid-November and a welcome morale boost into the bargain. Their next challenge was a visit from table-topping Ipswich and on this occasion the manager was not too distressed when his team gained their 13th draw of the season, a Man of the Match performance by Steve Harper key to the 1-1 scoreline.

Just two days before Christmas Angus added two new faces to his squad in a bid to beef up his goalscoring options. First to arrive was teenage Israeli striker Ben Sahar on loan for the remainder of the season from Chelsea. By way of contrast his next signing was veteran Mark Viduka who had just been released by Middlesbrough. The club’s supporters expressed some concern about the potentially disruptive influence that the abrasive Aussie might bring but Angus remained convinced that he was worth the risk. He had to admit that thus far none of the older names that he had brought into the club had really produced much – Ferguson, Litmanen, Berger and Butt had all failed to stand out – but ever the optimist he convinced himself that this time it would be different. He fondly imagined Viduka banging in goals for the rest of the season and he named him in the starting eleven for the trip to Burnley on Boxing Day with Sahar on the bench. Neither could come up with a goal but a late equaliser from Rasmus Wurtz produced draw number 14 and left the club in 12th place at the end of the year, ten points outside the last of the playoff places.

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Right back Dale Tonge made a move to the MK Dons on January 1st in search of first team football but Angus was much more concerned about key midfielder Wurtz. The manager was keen to get him to sign a new deal as a number of clubs had tabled offers, although none as yet had matched his £2M release fee. But those concerns had to be put to one side as he concentrated on the 3rd round FA Cup tie at Preston, a side that they would coincidentally face a week later in the league. After an insipid 3-0 capitulation at Deepdale he could only hope that the same level of performance would not be repeated in the forthcoming league match. They took the lead through a typical Taylor header but then conceded a late equaliser before Viduka scored an even later winner. The Aussie had the ball in the net earlier in the game but that effort was ruled out by the referee.

During the next few days the bids came flying in for his unsettled midfielder with Ajax, AZ, Fiorentina, AEK and Anderlecht all matching the magic £2M mark, Wurtz finally settling for Amsterdam. The trip to Reading was made without their most effective midfielder and Angus was not overly surprised to lose 2-0 to the promotion contenders. They looked to bounce back at home to Brighton but twice fell behind, each time Martin Taylor demonstrated his aerial strength at set pieces with headed goals. The big defender put his team in front with yet another header to claim his first ever hat trick and when substitute Sahar scored his first for the club with quarter of an hour remaining the game looked to be won. However the visitors refused to wilt and they reduced the deficit in a frantic finish but Barnsley held on for an invaluable win.

When Angus became aware that midfielder Danny Murphy had been released after an unhappy spell at Tottenham he made an immediate move to sign the former England man in an attempt to plug the gap left by the departure of Wurtz. A deal was agreed and he was straight into the team for the trip to relegation-threatened Bristol City and he made a comfortable debut in the comprehensive 3-0 win. With his team having strung together two successive wins for the first time since September the manager was looking for a hat trick of victories in the local derby at home to Leeds. His objective was achieved thanks to Sahar’s 4th goal in three matches and some solid goalkeeping from Harper. The trip to bottom club Colchester produced a 4th win on the spin but the victory was not quite as comfortable as the 3-1 scoreline might suggest. A goal down at the break, it took a sending off for the home side to prod the visitors into action with Sahar netting again and Viduka getting a brace.

They entertained another team from the lower reaches of the division as Stoke self-destructed at Oakwell, having a man sent off and losing 3-0 with Sahar scoring for the 5th match in a row and Murphy getting his debut goal. Sahar scored yet again as the team gained another win, triumphing 2-1 at Southampton and leapfrogging the south coast team to move into 6th place, although the Saints moved back into the playoffs when they won their game in hand in midweek. Captain Reid was absent through suspension for the visit of 3rd place Crystal Palace and they were unfortunate to suffer a 1-0 defeat with the visiting keeper gaining the Man of the Match bubbly for his fine performance. Another goalless match followed as they could not find a way past a determined Birmingham defence and they finished with a 0-0 draw. Then the midweek trip to Wolves ended in a disappointing defeat as they relinquished a 1-0 lead to go down to a 2-1 defeat. The team got back to winning ways with a narrow 1-0 victory at Cardiff to re-take the final playoff position at the end of March.

With five matches left to play Angus was looking for his team to power on and go one better than last season by securing a top-six finish. They began their quest with a visit from Hull and looked very impressive in their comprehensive 5-0 victory. On the eve of their match at Notts Forest the manager received the unwelcome news that centre back Martin Taylor had accepted a contract offer from Rangers and would be laving in the summer. The club had been in constant negotiation with their star defender but he had refused all offers, making it clear that was determined to leave. With Danny Murphy making the 400th league appearance of his career they came away with a goalless draw, Reid’s last-minute strike disallowed for an offside decision. They played again just two days later and secured a comfortable 3-0 win at home to Carlisle.

With just two games of the regular season remaining Barnsley were clinging on to the final playoff place, one point ahead of Southampton and a further point clear of Birmingham. Their penultimate game could not have been more difficult as they travelled to league leaders Derby and despite leading 1-0 at the interval the home side recovered to gain a 2-1 win and secure the title. Barnsley made a valiant effort to fight back after falling behind, forcing Stephen Bywater into several fine saves late on but they just couldn’t find an equaliser. As well as suffering a defeat that dropped them out of the top-six they also lost Cesnauskis and Salihi to injury with Pouso joining them in the treatment room during midweek training.

So they faced their final game of the regular season at home to Watford minus three key players and needing a win, coupled with a Birmingham defeat at Reading, to grab the final playoff slot. After a rather subdued first half display they went into the dressing room a goal behind but the manager’s words during the interval seemed to inspire his players and they scored twice in two minutes early in the second half, Murphy and Viduka getting the crucial goals. With Birmingham going down to a Leroy Lita strike in stoppage time the win was enough to propel Angus and his players into 6th place and extend their season by at least two more games.

The two-legged Semi Final against Reading took place without the influence of Danny Murphy in midfield as he sustained a damaged heel in a training session. With Litmanen making the extraordinary decision to retire the day before the first leg Angus was left shorn of options in midfield. He was left feeling even more dismayed when the home tie ended 3-0 in Reading’s favour, his team having created enough chances to have given themselves a fighting chance but failed to convert any of them. The return leg ended in a 1-1 draw and the manager could only admire his team’s battling performance as they endured two more injured players during the 90 minutes.

The playoff final produced a classic encounter as Reading recovered from a three-goal deficit to overcome Millwall 4-3 and gain an immediate return to the Premiership. Angus could only appreciate the irony of two of his key players from last season, Holsen and McIndoe, both gaining promotion as his own side fell at the final hurdle.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Derby | 46 | 28 | 6 | 12 | 65 | 43 | +22 | 90 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | P | Ipswich | 46 | 25 | 11 | 10 | 84 | 58 | +26 | 86 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | P | Reading | 46 | 25 | 8 | 13 | 76 | 49 | +27 | 83 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Crystal Palace | 46 | 22 | 15 | 9 | 62 | 42 | +20 | 81 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Millwall | 46 | 22 | 11 | 13 | 74 | 55 | +19 | 77 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | BARNSLEY | 46 | 19 | 16 | 11 | 71 | 51 | +20 | 73 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Birmingham | 46 | 20 | 11 | 15 | 68 | 46 | +22 | 71 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Crewe | 46 | 19 | 12 | 15 | 61 | 51 | +10 | 69 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Southampton | 46 | 20 | 9 | 17 | 65 | 68 | -3 | 69 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th| | Cardiff | 46 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 63 | 55 | +8 | 68 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th| | Fulham | 46 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 60 | 52 | +8 | 64 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th| | Nottm Forest | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 48 | 50 | -2 | 61 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th| | Hull | 46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 57 | 62 | -5 | 60 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th| | Leicester | 46 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 51 | 60 | -9 | 60 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th| | Wolves | 46 | 16 | 11 | 19 | 66 | 65 | +1 | 59 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th| | Leeds | 46 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 51 | 54 | -3 | 58 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th| | Watford | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 48 | 57 | -9 | 55 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th| | Stoke | 46 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 35 | 48 | -13 | 54 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th| | Brighton | 46 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 45 | 59 | -14 | 51 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th| | Bristol City | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 53 | 63 | -10 | 50 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 21st| | Burnley | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 59 | 79 | -20 | 50 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 22nd| R | Carlisle | 46 | 13 | 7 | 26 | 36 | 75 | -39 | 46 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 23rd| R | Preston | 46 | 10 | 11 | 25 | 47 | 74 | -27 | 41 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 24th| R | Colchester | 46 | 10 | 9 | 27 | 46 | 75 | -29 | 39 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>
With the players released for their summer break Angus looked back on the season with mixed emotions – on the one hand he had achieved his objective of having his team involved in the promotion fight but on the other they had not been strong challengers and scraped into the playoffs before being undone by injuries due to the lack of depth in the squad.

He did have the compensation that four of his players featured in the Championship Select at the end of the season – Martin Taylor, Paul Heckingbottom, Paul Reid and Nicky Wroe, although this was tempered with the knowledge that Taylor would not be with the club next season. Danny Murphy had proved to be an influential figure in midfield, Hamdi Salihi finished as top scorer with 21 goals and loan signing Ben Sahar contributed eleven. Mark Viduka had not made the impact that Angus had hoped and his return of 5 goals from 18 starts wasn’t exactly earth shattering. He was only too aware that if he was to make further progress with Barnsley then he had to bring in fresh talent, a task made much more complicated by his Chairman’s continuing refusal to countenance any spending on transfer fees or agent’s commission. But then again he knew the deal when he signed up and Angus was not a man to walk away from a challenge and he went off on his own short break determined to return with renewed vigour and set about the task at hand.

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Season 04 – 2009/2010

In his pre-season planning with Barnsley Chairman Gordon Shepherd Angus made it clear that he was perfectly willing to work with a zero transfer budget but that he had to have a significant increase in his wage allowance to allow him to attract quality players to the club. The Chairman agreed and the two finally settled on a weekly budget of almost £180K, more than double the current salary bill. With the club’s scouting operation extended to cover most of Europe over the past two seasons the manager already had a pretty extensive shortlist of players that he was interested in and he set about pursuing a number whose contracts would expire in the next month or two.

As well as looking to bring in a number of new players, the manager decided to prune his existing squad a little. Patrick Berger joined Jari Litmanen in retirement, senior players Tony McParland and Paul Hayes were released, Simon Heslop was sold for a modest fee and a handful of youngsters were let go. The loss of Martin Taylor to Rangers was a disappointment as he had been a vital figure in defence since his arrival at the club but there was nothing that could be done about that now.

After a productive pre-season campaign the team prepared to entertain Bristol City in front of the TV cameras for the league opener with no less than ten new faces in the squad. Midfielder Gavin McCann had 10 seasons of top-flight experience under his belt with Sunderland and Aston Villa and he would be challenging Omar Pouso for a place in the first team. 29-year-old Austrian international Martin Stranzl had moved from the German Bundeliga to spend four seasons at Spartak Moscow and was likely to start at right back. Swedish striker Rade Prica had also played in the German top flight and had scored over 50 goals in his last three seasons in Denmark. Serbian midfielder Aleksandar Vukovic had enjoyed three productive seasons in Poland and Angus was looking to him to add creativity to his midfield. Czech international Radoslav Kovac was another capture from Spartak Moscow and he was equally adept at centre back or as a holding midfielder. Fellow Czech Marek Jankulovski had spent the last seven seasons in Italy and Angus was delighted to have attracted the left back from Milan at the end of his contract. Polish defender Pawel Golanski would be challenging for a start at right back but could also play in central defence. Versatile Finn Mika Aaritalo could play as an attacking midfielder, a striker or a winger and the manager planned to employ him on the left of midfield. Experienced Bulgarian Blagoy Georgiev would feature on the right wing as Angus looked to give his entire midfield a new look in the hope of providing a more potent attacking threat. After his impact last season young Chelsea striker Ben Sahar had been obtained on a short-term loan with an eye on extending this to a season-long deal if possible. Finally 18-year-old centre back Stephen Guthrie had been acquired on a free transfer from Hamilton and the manager had him marked down as one for the future.

Strike pairing Sahar and Hamdi Salihi provided the goals as Barnsley got off to a winning start, the 2-1 victory much more comfortable that the scoreline might suggest. The midweek trip to Burnley should have provided another win as the visitors dominated and carved out a number of chances. But with just a single goal from Salihi to show for their pressure they conceded a late equaliser to drop two points. Visiting Southampton caused his team some problems and despite taking an early lead through Aaritalo in the end Angus was grateful enough that they conceded just a single goal, seeing the 1-1 draw as a point gained. The run of draws was halted at West Brom in a pulsating encounter. The lead changed hands three times in a whirlwind first half with the visitors taking an early lead through Salihi only to allow the home side to score twice in five minutes to go in front. Captain Reid atoned for a couple of defensive errors by heading home a corner for the equaliser and then Salihi bagged his second just before the break to put Barnsley back in front. The Albanian completed his hat trick within minutes of the restart and despite a good number of chances at either end there was no further scoring, the 4-2 win taking the Tykes up to 3rd in the table.

Salihi continued his fantastic start to the season with two first-half goals in the Carling Cup tie at League Two side and local rivals Huddersfield. With Pouso adding a third early in the second period the result was never in doubt, the win taking them through to face Bury in the next round. There was no stopping Salihi and he scored both goals in their next match, a 2-0 win at home to Leicester, the victory taking the team up to second in the Championship.

In early September the team was hit with a rash of injuries and Angus had to make several changes to the starting eleven for the visit of Crewe. Having conceded an early goal they struck back, Salihi scoring a terrific hat trick in the first half to establish what should have been a match-winning lead. But some unwelcome complacency in the second half allowed the visitors to recover and they scored twice to gain a surprise 3-3 draw. They maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a fortunate 1-1 draw in the midweek trip to Hull, the Barnsley goal coming from a Hull player and keeper Harper making some key saves to preserve the status quo. Their first defeat of the season came a few days later at Luton as they contrived to lose a match that they should have won comfortably. Not only did they suffer a 1-0 defeat but they also lost promising young centre back Anes Mravac with a broken leg, a real blow for the young Swede.

They made further progress in the Carling Cup with a 1-0 win at home to Bury. The visitors put up a spirited defence and it took over 60 minutes for Salihi to make the breakthrough but with the number of chances that were created the home side should have won by a much more handsome margin. The visit from Millwall in the league saw Ben Sahar celebrate a three-month extension to his loan deal by scoring twice in the comfortable 3-0 win, Aaritalo having opened the scoring. Unfortunately the visit to second place Wigan didn’t go quite as well as they lost a pretty even encounter 2-1 with the home side scoring a late winner to move to the top of the table. The month ended with a televised derby match at Leeds, Salihi scoring both of the goals in their excellent 2-0 win.

It was 4th against 3rd when Crystal Palace came to Oakwell for the first game in October and the home side made most of the running but at half time had just a single goal from Paul Reid to show for their efforts. But their enterprise was rewarded after the break when Ben Sahar added a second and the points were secured late in the game when Aleksandar Vukovic score his first goal of the season to round off a 3-0 win. They were off to the Midlands in midweek to face Birmingham and both keepers were kept busy in an entertaining first half, the visitors the happier thanks to Hamdi Salihi’s strike in the 41st minute. Strike partner Sahar added a second before hobbling off late on to be replaced by Rade Prica and although the home side managed a late goal the Tykes held on for 2-1 win. The victory took Barnsley to the top of the Championship on goal difference over Wigan, the first time since Angus took charge that his team had headed the division.

Their time at the top was quickly ended after a very disappointing 1-0 defeat at home to a struggling Brighton side, some sub-standard finishing the main culprit. Left back Marek Jankulovski had twisted an ankle in the defeat so he was replaced by Paul Heckingbottom for the visit of Bradford in the 3rd round of the Carling Cup in midweek. Angus also decided to give young keeper Andrew Moody his first start of the season as well as giving Nicky Wroe a run out on the wing. Wroe it was who opened the scoring just before the interval with substitutes Georgiev and Prica both on the scoresheet after the interval to complete a comfortable 3-0 win. A third successive home match followed and Angus was positively purring with pleasure at how well his team played in the first half as they established an unassailable 5-1 lead over visiting Wolves by the interval. Vukovic was on target twice, his first from the penalty spot, with Salihi, Sahar and Wroe also scoring. The second half was much quieter and there was no further scoring but Barnsley did suffer injuries to Stranzl and Reid, meaning that three of their first choice back four were absent for the midweek trip to Coventry.

Salihi and Sahar were proving to be a deadly combination up front and they both added to their haul for the season as Angus watched his team tear the relegation strugglers apart in the first half. The young Israeli nabbed one goal and the Albanian scored twice to notch 19 goals in as many appearances. With Wroe unable to continue for the second half substitute Georgiev replaced him and he rounded off the scoring within minutes of the restart to complete a 4-0 whitewash. The month ended with a jaunt to London to take on Fulham but the first half was marred by the dismissal of Vukovic for elbowing an opponent in the face and the visitors went into the changing rooms a goal down. But with Radoslav Kovac a rock in central defence the ten men held firm for the remainder of the game and even conjured up an equaliser when Salhi’s shot was deflected by Danny Mills, the defender credited with an own goal.

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November saw Barnsley holding second place in the Championship, two points behind Wigan and a point clear of Crystal Palace and Angus was hopeful that they would be able to maintain their strong promotion challenge. On the playing front the month began with a trip to the south coast to face Southampton in the 4th round of the Carling Cup. Gavin McCann joined the growing casualty list as he suffered a dislocated shoulder in training and would miss at least a month, maybe more. With Nicky Butt recalled from the reserves to sit on the bench the side put in a decent enough display but were undone by the Saint’s superior finishing and a 3-1 defeat ended their interest in that particular competition.

Bobby Hassell was the latest Barnsley player to be struck down by an injury, a thigh strain sidelining him and giving the veteran Malky Mackay a start in the match at Stoke, the 400th league match of his career. A rousing encounter finally ended all square as the visitors twice allowed their lead to evaporate in a high-scoring match. Salihi scored virtually straight from the kickoff but by the half hour the home side had scored twice to go in front. Pawel Golanski equalised on the stroke of half time with his first goal of the season and Salihi scored twice in ten minutes to complete his hat trick with quarter of an hour left to play. Sadly for Angus his team conceded twice in the closing ten minutes to throw away three points in a exhilarating 4-4 draw.

Keeper Steve Harper was the next player to be ruled out after suffering a calf strain in training so Jose Ramon moved from the reserves to make his first start of the season at home to Bolton in midweek. After a goalless first half the visitors took the lead from the penalty spot shortly after the restart and with the home side struggling to get going it took until the final minute of stoppage time before they found an equaliser, Salihi underlining his immense value with his 23rd goal in as many starts. Despite dropping points in recent games, other results were reasonably favourable and the Tykes found themselves back on top of the table, but by the narrowest of margins in a very competitive division.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | BARNSLEY | 19 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 40 | 21 | +19 | 34 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Watford | 19 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 26 | 12 | +14 | 34 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | Wigan | 19 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 24 | 16 | +8 | 34 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | Sheff Wed | 19 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 28 | 21 | +7 | 33 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | Crystal Palace | 19 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 27 | 20 | +7 | 33 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | West Brom | 19 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 28 | 22 | +6 | 32 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>
The local derby at home to rivals Sheffield Wednesday took on a particular significance with both sides featuring in the promotion race and a bumper crowd was expected. It was the visitors that made the early running and they took the lead inside the opening 15 minutes. Angus was pleased that his team made an immediate riposte when a cross from Heckingbottom was deflected home via the head of a defender a few minutes later. There was no further scoring in the first half but the home side took the lead shortly after the restart through Salihi and the result was put beyond doubt when Aaritalo scored in stoppage time. The derby win was greeted with delight by the fans and the Board and just a few days later the club completed a long-awaited upgrade of the Youth Academy, the first stage of an ambitious programme to improve the training facilities.

The midweek trip to Watford was a disappointing anti-climax, a 4-1 defeat and an injury to Georgiev not what the manager had wanted. Worse was to follow at the end of the month when they suffered a 3-2 loss at home to Cardiff to drop down to 4th place and out of the automatic promotion slots. Angus was anxious to reverse this losing trend and he was relived to return from Notts Forest at the start of December with a narrow 2-1 win. Salihi was once again the hero scoring both of his team’s goals, the second of which came deep in stoppage time at the end of the game. Barnsley’s very own goal machine was then struck down with an injury, a back strain suffered during a training session so Prica was drafted in for the trip to Bristol City. The Swede was paired with Mark Viduka and it was the veteran Aussie that scored the only goal of the game, evading his marker for a neat finish early in the second half.

During the next week Angus successfully extended Sahar’s loan deal for a further three months and by the time his team faced Burnley at Oakwell they were boosted by the return of Harper, Reid and Jankulovski. Georgiev’s early goal was cancelled out on the hour mark when Pouso inadvertently headed a corner into his own net and the match finished in a frustrating 1-1 draw. Boxing Day saw the team travel to the south coast to face Southampton, the team that had eliminated them from the Carling Cup. The Saints had since progressed to the Semi Finals, knocking out Arsenal on penalties along the way. The visitors gained revenge for their cup defeat with a 2-1 win, wingers Georgiev and Aaritalo bagging a goal in each half to counter Southampton’s first minute opener. Their final game of the year at home to West Brom should have brought another welcome win as they established a two-goal lead through Aaritalo and Prica but they allowed the visitors back into the game and they recovered to depart with a 2-2 draw.

retired_amyslack

January began with a 3rd round FA Cup tie at Swansea, the 3-1 win more comfortable that the scoreline might suggest as Vukovic, Sahar and Georgiev all found the target. League action continued with a trip to relegation threatened Leicester, Pouso and Viduka getting the goals in the 2-0 win. With a goal disallowed and Vukovic striking the woodwork the winning margin could easily have been greater but the three points maintained their challenge in second place. They were now just a point behind Watford and ahead of Crystal Palace and Wigan on goal difference with Sheffield Wednesday a further point behind in 5th.

The weekend saw a crunch match at home to Wigan in a televised Sunday encounter but Angus was missing Bobby Hassell and Mika Aaritalo, both of whom were injured in training. The visitors were dominant for the opening half hour but gradually the home side began to establish themselves and by the end of the match it was one-way traffic towards Chris Kirkland’s goal, the Wigan keeper voted Man of the Match for his defiant performance. The goalless draw allowed Palace to jump above Barnsley as Angus saw his team drop out of the automatic promotion places. Crewe were enjoying a solid season and were making a serious push for the playoffs so Angus was well aware that the trip to the Alexandra Stadium would be no walk in the park. He was pleased to have McCann and Salihi both available but decided that they would sit on the bench initially. With the game still goalless after an hour both players were thrown into the fray and although neither made a direct contribution the visitors scored what proved to be the winning goal five minutes from time with a Kovac header. With Palace dropping points in a draw at Southampton the victory took the Tykes back up into second place in the table.

The team missed a great opportunity to progress in the FA Cup as they failed to make superior numbers count at Everton. The visitors opened the scoring in the 24th minute through Sahar with Tim Cahill equalising minutes later. Shortly afterwards the home side were reduced to ten men after centre back Steven Thicot was sent off. When young full back Jonas Elmer left the fray injured with seven minutes remaining The Toffees had used all of their substitutes and they were reduced to nine men but still Barnsley couldn’t find a second goal. The midweek visit of Hull in the league produced a shocking 3-0 defeat, the home side wasting chance after chance and the visitors scoring with virtually every effort that hit the target. It looked like being another wasteful 90 minutes at the weekend at home to relegation strugglers Luton with an own goal the only thing that separated the teams with quarter of an hour remaining until Georgiev doubled their lead. The visitors pulled a goal back but the home side held on for the win.

On the final day of the transfer window Angus completed a deal that took out of favour right back Andrew Griffin to Dundee United for a modest fee and in the monthly awards Radoslav Kovac was named Player of the Month after some impressive displays in central defence. Their FA Cup replay proved to be a disappointment – 2-0 down at the break after a poor first half they played much better after the break and pulled a goal back through Salihi but were unable to complete their recovery and exited the competition. Their midweek trip to a struggling Millwall gave them a comfortable 3-0 win, Sahar getting a brace and Salihi also on target as they closed within two points of leaders Watford. Angus was pleased with the 1-0 win at home to local rivals Leeds, a previously anonymous Sahar scoring the only goal of the game in the 64th minute. With Watford suffering a surprise defeat at Hull the three points took The Tykes back to the top of the table.

They were quickly back into action with a Tuesday evening trip to 3rd place Crystal Palace and Angus wasn’t too disappointed with the 1-1 draw. Another tough match followed with a visit from 4th place Birmingham and having conceded two goals in the opening seven minutes they left themselves with much to do. Salihi reduced the deficit midway through the first half but they failed to find another goal and slumped to a disappointing defeat. They also conceded two early goals at Brighton the next weekend but when the home side had a player sent off midway through the first half Angus was hopeful that his team could recover. They laboured to make their advantage tell and it wasn’t until the 76th minute that they pulled a goal back through Sahar. But then he couldn’t believe his eyes as he watched his team concede two goals in a minute to fall 4-1 behind. Two late strikes from Sahar and Salihi made the scoreline more respectable but he was still furious with the performance and he made his feelings clear at the end of the game.

retired_amyslack

Two straight defeats had seen Barnsley drop down to 4th and Angus was desperate to get back into a winning habit, beginning with the visit of Fulham in early March. The game started well when Rade Prica scored the opening goal on 25 minutes but took a turn for the worse when Marek Jankulovski was red-carded for a professional foul a few minutes later. The visitors added insult to injury by scoring from the resulting free kick to square the game. Angus decided to be bold and he switched to three at the back and kept his two strikers on the pitch. He was rewarded for his endeavour when Prica scored his second goal of the game just after the hour but once again Fulham found a quick equaliser. Blagoy Georgiev put them back in front in the 77th minute and this time they managed to hold on to the lead to secure a brave 3-2 win. Other results went in their favour and they found themselves back on top of the table, goal difference moving them above Watford and Wigan as the promotion race remained as tight as ever.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | BARNSLEY | 38 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 71 | 47 | +24 | 68 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Watford | 38 | 18 | 14 | 6 | 54 | 30 | +24 | 68 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | Wigan | 38 | 20 | 8 | 10 | 46 | 30 | +16 | 68 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | Birmingham | 38 | 18 | 12 | 8 | 53 | 35 | +18 | 66 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | Hull | 38 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 66 | 41 | +25 | 64 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | Cardiff | 38 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 52 | 39 | +13 | 64 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>
However, there was little time to consider the state of the Championship table as they were soon back in action with a Tuesday night trip to Wolves. Prica and Salihi provided the goals in a solid 2-0 win although they did manage to have a left back sent off for the second consecutive match as Paul Heckingbottom picked up two yellow cards. A stoppage-time goal from Ben Sahar was enough to secure a 1-0 win at home to Coventry at the weekend to keep up their surprise title challenge. Later that week Angus was able to extend Sahar’s loan from Chelsea for a further three months to ensure that he would remain at Oakwell until the end of the season. Their hopes took a hit the next weekend when they suffered a disappointing 3-1 loss at Bolton with Jankulovski tearing a groin muscle, an injury that would rule him out for the remainder of the season.

Aleksandar Vukovic was playing the 300th league match of his career in their next match at home to Stoke but it was Prica who took the headlines when he scored the only goal of the game to give his side three more invaluable points. Just two days later they were back in action with a short trip to Sheffield Wednesday for a Monday evening match with Vukovic and Salihi providing the goals in a very satisfying 2-0 victory. With just three games left to play the visit of second place Watford the next weekend had “title decider” written all over it. A tight encounter was ultimately decided by Salihi’s 34th goal of the season when he was left all alone in the opposition box to turn in a cross from Aaritalo. He had the ball in the net again late in the game but his effort was disallowed leaving Angus to watch on nervously. Young keeper Andrew Moody had by this time forced his way into the first team and the 23-year-old made some impressive saves to keep his team in front.

The team then travelled to Cardiff at the end of April in the knowledge that a point would virtually guarantee promotion. They enjoyed the better of the first period and took the lead through Rade Prica ten minutes before half time. A second from Salihi in the 56th minute doubled their lead and although the Bluebird’s top scorer Michael Chopra pulled a goal back five minutes later the Tykes held on for a worthy win. The victory secured both promotion to the Premiership and the league title, an achievement that everyone at the club was delighted with. The Champions concluded the season with a good 2-1 win at home to Notts Forest, Georgiev and Salihi getting the goals.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | BARNSLEY | 46 | 26 | 11 | 9 | 83 | 52 | +31 | 89 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | P | Watford | 46 | 23 | 15 | 8 | 68 | 34 | +34 | 84 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Wigan | 46 | 24 | 10 | 12 | 59 | 43 | +16 | 82 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Hull | 46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 78 | 45 | +33 | 81 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | P | Birmingham | 46 | 22 | 14 | 10 | 66 | 42 | +24 | 80 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Cardiff | 46 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 71 | 52 | +19 | 80 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Crystal Palace | 46 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 61 | 48 | +13 | 78 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Southampton | 46 | 17 | 19 | 10 | 58 | 46 | +12 | 70 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | West Brom | 46 | 16 | 20 | 10 | 56 | 47 | +9 | 68 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Sheff Wed | 46 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 53 | 49 | +4 | 67 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Wolves | 46 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 50 | 55 | -5 | 63 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Stoke | 46 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 37 | 43 | -6 | 62 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Bristol City | 46 | 16 | 10 | 20 | 60 | 66 | -6 | 58 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Crewe | 46 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 53 | 63 | -10 | 57 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Brighton | 46 | 15 | 11 | 20 | 45 | 56 | -11 | 56 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Bolton | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 58 | 60 | -2 | 54 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Fulham | 46 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 66 | 62 | +4 | 53 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Nottm Forest | 46 | 10 | 19 | 17 | 49 | 60 | -11 | 49 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | Coventry | 46 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 38 | 57 | -19 | 47 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | | Leicester | 46 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 40 | 59 | -19 | 45 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 21st | | Millwall | 46 | 9 | 17 | 20 | 48 | 72 | -24 | 44 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 22nd | R | Luton | 46 | 9 | 13 | 24 | 30 | 58 | -28 | 40 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 23rd | R | Leeds | 46 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 32 | 62 | -30 | 39 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 24th | R | Burnley | 46 | 8 | 12 | 26 | 40 | 68 | -28 | 36 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10 points deducted from Fulham || ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>
There was no doubt that the team’s star performer had been their Albanian striker and his final tally of 36 goals in all competitions was mighty impressive. Centre backs Kovac and Reid had also been key figures for the team, and all three featured in the Championship Select for the season. Salihi was the division’s top scorer and Angus himself was named Manager of the Year.

retired_brianrt

Well done on the title Bob, now for the Premiership push

retired_amyslack

Thanks sherm, appreciate the support

Season 05 – 2010/2011

After a short break Barnsley manager Angus Cohen was soon back at his desk as he began his preparations for life in the Premiership. His first question to his Chairman Gordon Shepherd was quite simple – did he intend to relax his transfer policy now that the club had made it to the top flight? The manager was not entirely surprised by the response. “Thy must be joking old son. I’ve seen too many clubs in’t past virtually bankrupt thyselves trying to stay in’t Premiership. I’ll give thee a lot more brass for wages but nowt else has changed so don’t thy be asking for any cash to spend on transfers.”

The Chairman was a good as his word, authorising up to £350,000 a week for the wage budget and at the same time agreeing a badly needed overhaul of the Barnsley training ground. With the basics in place Angus set about his work, his first priority chasing down a number of targeted players on his shortlist of soon-to-be free agents. At the same time he was reviewing the contract status of his own squad and finally decided that none of the players who were coming up for renewal would be offered extensions. This meant that eleven senior players were released, Danny Murphy and Daniel Nardiello amongst them, and with Mark Viduka and Malky Mackay retiring and Jaime taking a position on the coaching staff, the squad took quite a hit.

However, as the summer progressed the manager was able to secure some quality players to beef up the senior squad. Striker Dave Nugent arrived from Preston, Egyptian international Mido agreed a deal after being released by Spurs, Czech centre back Tomas Zapotocny joined from West Ham and the experienced midfielder Carlos Humberto Paredes came from Sporting. His final deal brought Dutch youngster Nacer Barazite from Arsenal for no fee, although 50% of any transfer fee received for the striker would go to the Londoners.

Barnsley’s Premiership campaign began with three fixtures that Angus had targeted to produce early points as his team faced Derby, Watford and Ipswich, none of whom were amongst the elite of the English game. Derby had finished in a creditable 11th place after their promotion two seasons ago though and the manager knew that their trip to Pride Park would be no easy matter. The visitors suffered a torrid first half and it was only thanks to young keeper Andrew Moody that the scores were tied at the break. Their performance picked up slightly after the interval but the home side still looked stronger and finally scored the winning goal with 20 minutes remaining. The midweek visit of Watford was a more even affair but neither side was able to find a goal and the Tykes picked up their first Premiership point with a goalless draw. The TV cameras were at Portman Road at the end of August as the visitors rode their luck and with goal threat Salihi absent through injury it was Dave Nugent who provided the only goal of the game just after the hour to give Angus his debut win in the top flight.

The team started brightly in their next match at home to Chelsea and created a couple of good chances early on, forcing Petr Cech into some smart saves but having failed to score they paid the price when they conceded the opening goal after quarter of an hour. But to their credit they refused to buckle and held firm until half time. Angus sent his team out with a more attacking mindset for the second period and with just ten minutes of normal time remaining they were rewarded for their positive approach when substitute Nacer Barazite converted a free kick to secure a valuable point. Unfortunately Bulgarian winger Georgiev was injured during the game, suffering a torn calf muscle, and would require a lengthy layoff. They faced London opponents a week later in the shape of Charlton and came away from the Valley on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline in an even affair. A midweek trip to local rivals Sheffield Wednesday in the Carling Cup was next on the agenda and two goals from Scottish striker Derek Riordan gave them a mountain to climb at the break. Mido pulled a goal back with 20 minutes remaining but they were unable to complete their recovery and fell at the first hurdle in that particular competition. They then faced the in-form Tottenham in their final game in September and a determined rearguard action provided the foundation for a famous win, Mido scoring the only goal of the game against his former employers.

At the start of October Angus was able to sign former Liverpool player Stephen Warnock as free agent to strengthen his defence and the 28-year-old went straight into the starting eleven for the trip to Newcastle and his team were mighty unfortunate to lose an exciting game 4-3. A rash of injuries were sustained during the next week as several Barnsley players returned home crocked after European Championship qualifiers and the manager was forced to make a number of changes for the televised match at home to bottom club Aston Villa. The resulting 1-1 draw was a slight disappointment as Angus felt that his team had done enough to secure all three points. Their next match at Manchester City was also televised and the manager was delighted with a highly creditable 2-1 win as he watched his side overturn a one-goal deficit to gain a valuable win. October ended with a visit from Liverpool and there could be no argument that the visitors were well worth their comfortable 3-1 win.

Angus was delighted to see his team bounce back with an excellent win at home to Blackburn. They were 2-0 ahead at the break and 3-0 up after 55 minutes, with a missed penalty into the bargain. The visitors created some chances of their own and a very strong finish saw them pull two goals back in the closing ten minutes to give the Barnsley manager an anxious few minutes. By the time they travelled to Middlesbrough the next weekend there were half a dozen of the first team squad in the treatment room, including two right backs, and the manager was becoming aware just how thin his squad really was. Having suffered five straight Premiership defeats the home side were desperate for a result and they made the best possible start, scoring inside two minutes. Top scorer Mido found an equaliser and his team carved out some presentable opportunities to grab the lead but the score remained tied at half time. Their good play continued after the interval and the Egyptian striker scored his second of the game on 58 and two minutes later centre back Kovac secured the points with a shot from distance. The win left them sitting in 11th place with 18 points, just a point behind both Arsenal and Manchester United.

retired_amyslack

A training injury to Bobby Hassell left Barnsley bereft of right backs for the visit of Reading for a Monday night televised match so midfielder Nicky Wroe was asked to fill in at full back. Mido showed his increasing value to the team by scoring once in each half and give his team an excellent 2-0 win. The Barnsley full back jinx continued with an injury to Stephen Warnock with Paul Heckingbottom called up from the reserves to fill in for the trip to West Ham. The first half was not exactly a roaring success as the Tykes shipped two goals and lost temporary right back Wroe to injury. But Angus was proud of his team’s response as they quickly squared the game through Nugent and Mido. With two minutes of normal time remaining the home side scored again to take the lead but captain Paul Reid came up with a stoppage time goal to secure a hard earned point.

With Arsenal visiting a few days later Angus was once again forced to ask a midfielder to operate as a full back, Deividas Cesnauskis the player concerned. In the first half all of the luck went to the home side as both teams had the ball in the back of the net twice but Arsenal had their two efforts disallowed whilst Nugent’s and Mido’s efforts stood. That looked like it was all going to change after the interval as the visitors pulled a goal back and Radoslav Kovac was sent off for pulling back young striker Arturo Lupoli. But the force was with the home side as Arsenal’s Italian striker was himself dismissed for kicking out at substitute Tomas Zapotocny. Having used all three substitutes the visitors were reduced to nine men when Emmanuel Adebayor limped off injured. By that time Mido had scored his second goal of the game and his side were able to shut up shop and hold on for an excellent 3-1 victory. Mido was rewarded for a very productive month with the Premiership Player of the Month award with Angus himself lauded as Manager of the Month.

Pawel Golanski was fit to return at right back for the trip to struggling Sunderland but a disappointing performance resulted in a poor 2-0 defeat, their first loss in five matches. With several players working their way back to full fitness the physios continued to earn their wages as Heckingbottom and Rade Prica both picked up injuries in training. However Jankulovski was fit to return to the side for the visit of Birmingham and the home side made most of the running, taking an early lead through Mido. But their failure to put away any more of their chances came back to haunt them when the visitors scored a late equaliser to steal a point. After a fortnight off Barnsley’s next action was a Boxing Day visit from Everton and a win was gained thanks to an inspired rearguard action with centre back Reid showing the way. The captain it was who scored the opening goal on the stroke of half time after his team had endured periods of extended pressure from the visitors. Keeper Moody picked up an injury minutes later and substitute Steve Harper did some excellent work for the remainder of the game. Paredes scored his first goal for the club to give them some breathing space and a late own goal wrapped up an excellent 3-0 win. Their final game of the year came just two days later with Derby in town and looking to do the double over the home side. Having taken an early lead they looked like they might achieve their ambition but Barnsley did very well to settle down and come back, an own goal and a header from Kovac turning the game around by the mid point of the first half. There was no further scoring and the team ended the year in a very satisfactory 10th place.

New Year’s Day featured a trip to Watford and with Mido absent on international duty they put in their worst performance of the season by far, losing 4-0 and having Reid sent off for head-butting an opponent. They played again just two days later, hosting Ipswich and bouncing back with an excellent 3-0 win with youngster Barazite getting a brace and Mido also on target, although they did lose winger Cesnauskis with broken ribs. With Reid having been handed a 5-match ban Angus was not at all pleased with his captain as he now had nine first team players unavailable for the visit to Aston Villa in the 3rd round of the FA Cup. A 4-1 defeat meant another early exit from a cup competition but much worse from the manager’s viewpoint was the fact that he had three more players injured with Pouso, Prica and Aaritalo all affected. To make matters worse left back Warnock suffered a hip injury in training and would be ruled of for several months and then a day later Bobby Hassell hurt his wrist in a weight training session.

The manager now had twelve players unavailable for the trip to Chelsea and in the circumstances the 1-0 defeat was no disgrace. A further 1-0 defeat followed at home to Charlton with Vukovic joining the walking wounded and Paredes receiving a very harsh red card. The month ended with a midweek trip to Manchester United and a third consecutive 1-0 defeat. They travelled to London in early February hoping to stem their run of defeats by getting a result at Tottenham but once again they fell short, and clearly demoralised they suffered a 2-0 reverse. Paul Reid made a welcome return to the side for the visit of Newcastle having completed his extended suspension. Salihi had been criticised in the press recently for his poor performances but he repaid the faith shown in him by his manager by scoring the crucial opening goal in the 77th minute. Substitute Georgiev scored their second ten minutes later and despite the visitors netting in stoppage time the home side held on for a very welcome win.

With several players involved in midweek international friendlies, Angus kept his fingers crossed that none of them would return injured but his worst fears were realised when Mika Aaritalo suffered a major injury. Having just returned to full training he damaged his cruciate ligaments in the match against England and was ruled out for at least 6 months. He was nonetheless hopeful of a positive result from the visit to a struggling Aston Villa side but despite taking the lead through Georgiev early on his side conceded twice to suffer a 2-1 defeat. The visit of Manchester City at the end of the month brought a welcome point in a 1-1 draw, Salihi scoring late in the game to secure the point.