Barnsley 3-0 Walsall
- Published
Sam Winnall was League Two's top scorer in 2014 as he helped Scunthorpe to promotion
Sam Winnall scored two and made a third as Barnsley took hold of their League One play-off semi-final with Walsall.
Jason Demetriou deflected Adam Hammill's shot past his own goalkeeper after Winnall's pass as Barnsley took the lead on the stroke of half-time.
Winnall got the second from the edge of the box before ending a 50-yard run with a classy finish two minutes later.
No side has ever overturned a three-goal first-leg deficit to make a final in the history of the play-offs.
That means Jon Whitney's side have it all to do going into the second leg at the Banks's Stadium on Thursday.
Barnsley are aiming to become the first side since Grimsby Town in 1998 to do the double of winning promotion via the play-offs and lifting the Football League Trophy in the same season.
Big play-off first leg scores |
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1998: Northampton Town come back from 3-1 down to beat Bristol Rovers 4-3 on aggregate in the old Division Two play-offs |
2000: Barnsley beat Birmingham City 4-0 in the first leg of the old Division One play-offs. They went on to win 5-2 on aggregate but lost 4-2 to Ipswich in the final |
2006: Watford beat Crystal Palace 3-0 in their Championship play-off first-leg |
2010: Dagenham and Redbridge register the biggest-ever first leg victory - 6-0 over Morecambe in the League Two semi-final |
The Tykes dominated the tie and should have broken the deadlock midway through the first half when Lloyd Isgrove had a goal incorrectly disallowed.
Assistant referee Mark Duncan - who was replaced at half-time because of a calf injury - said Isgrove was offside, but replays showed he was three yards onside when the ball was played.
Tom Bradshaw had a golden chance to put Walsall ahead five minutes before the break, but screwed his shot wide.
Barnsley took full advantage as Winnall's fantastic pass from the byline took four Walsall defenders out of the game and allowed Hammill to shoot home via Demetriou's leg.
In the final 20 minutes, after Winnall's double, Walsall's Anthony Forde saw a driven low cross flash across the face of goal while Sam Mantom missed badly from close range as the Saddlers tried to get back into the match.
Whitney on Barnsley v Walsall
Walsall interim head coach Jon Whitney told BBC WM 95.6: "I'm hurting. I don't think it was a lack of effort from the players, it was just our decision making.
"We allowed them to execute their game plan a bit too easily. The second goal was a bit fortuitous but our reaction was very disappointing.
"The third goal makes it such an uphill task, but it's one that we can climb - I truly believe that."
- Published12 May 2016
- Published11 May 2016
