Barnsley 1-0 Nottingham Forest: Patrick Schmidt scores 93rd-minute winner for Tykes
- Published
Patrick Schmidt's winner against Nottingham Forest was his first goal since December
Substitute Patrick Schmidt's 93rd-minute winner against Nottingham Forest has given Barnsley the belief they can avoid relegation from the Championship, says boss Gerhard Struber.
The Tykes began needing to win both of their final two games to stand any chance of survival.
And, after an afternoon of frustration in front of goal, they were finally rewarded deep into stoppage time when Schmidt prodded home from close range following a scramble in the box.
"I am very proud of my team, especially of our togetherness and spirit to never give up," Struber told BBC Radio Sheffield.
"We were very disciplined and we had so much control against this massive opponent. We worked so hard for the goal and we deserved a big victory in our situation.
"Now we have the final game on Wednesday and I hope we can reproduce a similar performance.
"The team and the staff knows the quality in the team, everyone will fight and give the best he can and we believe we can stay in the league. This moment today showed me we have quality in the team, a good plan and big belief we can stay in the league."
Barnsley produced a positive, forward-thinking performance, and registered 20 attempts on goal.
But before Schmidt's winner the closest they came was when they twice hit the woodwork, first through Luke Thomas' rising first-half drive from the edge of the box which clipped the top of the bar, before Marcel Ritzmaier's low drive midway through the second half struck the outside of the post.
Barnsley climb off the bottom of the table, a point above Hull City, and must now also win at at promotion-chasing Brentford to have any chance of staying up.
Defeat means Forest still need a point from their final game against Stoke to guarantee a play-off place for the first time since 2011.
Tykes struggle to make pressure tell
Barnsley, who performed impressively in losing narrowly at champions Leeds on Thursday, were much the better side in the first half but were unable to make their possession and chances count.
Thomas had the game's first opening, seeing his drive turned behind by Forest keeper Jordan Smith.
Conor Chaplin fired across goal from a tight angle and then saw another effort pushed away by Smith, moments after Callum Styles fired wide.
The chances kept coming as Thomas struck the bar, Alex Mowatt side-footed narrowly wide from 20 yards and Jacob Brown was denied by Smith after being played through one-on-one.
But as time started to run out after the break the openings became less frequent for the Tykes, despite the half-time introduction of top scorer Cauley Woodrow.
Other than Ritzmaier's shot against the post, their only other effort of note saw Jordan Williams fire over the angle of post and bar until Brown headed a cross back into the danger area and Schmidt poked the ball past Smith from six yards for his third goal of the season.
It prompted Barnsley boss Gerhard Struber to race from his technical area to celebrate the goal with his players on the pitch.
Barnsley have not conceded a goal at home since before the coronavirus lockdown
Forest limping towards finish line
Forest arrived at Oakwell knowing that a point would guarantee a play-off place and victory would all-but secure fifth place given their superior goal difference over Cardiff.
Instead, Sabri Lamouchi's side must now draw with Stoke on Wednesday to be sure of extending their season; anything less and they could be susceptible to a Cardiff win over Hull and a Swansea victory at Reading.
However, Forest have lost momentum at the worst possible time.
After picking up seven points from their first three games after the resumption of the season following the coronavirus pandemic, they have since drawn three and lost two of their past five fixtures.
They barely threatened Barnsley, with Lewis Grabban firing their best chance across goal and wide early on, while a Nuno da Costa flick forced a smart save from home keeper Jack Walton.
Post-match reaction
Nottingham Forest boss Sabri Lamouchi:
"The desire of Barnsley players was important and they deserved to win because they want this win more than us. They run more, they fight more, they win the duels and in football, if you don't win the duels and if you don't run, it's difficult.
"The desire today was in the Barnsley side and not in the Forest side.
"The spirit in the dressing room was absolutely terrible but my job is to talk with them honestly. The manager needs to take the responsibility and this is my responsibility.
"If we want to play in the play-offs, it is in our hands. One point against Stoke and we will play in the play-offs. We need to recover, have a good rest and on Wednesday play a clever game."