Barnsley 1-0 Coventry City: Dominik Frieser goal gives Tykes first home win of season

Dominic FrieserImage source, PA Media
Image caption,

Dominic Frieser's goal gave fellow Austrian Markus Schopp his first league win as Barnsley boss

Dominik Frieser scored the only goal of the game as Barnsley welcomed their fans back to Oakwell with a home win over Coventry City.

Frieser slotted past Simon Moore after being played in by Romal Palmer and the Tykes held out despite some intense pressure from the Sky Blues.

Viktor Gyokeres hit the crossbar with a first-half effort as he slid in to meet a cross from the left, and following the interval Coventry defender Michael Rose saw a header cleared off the line by Cauley Woodrow.

A foul on Jamie Allen led to Coventry being awarded an added-time penalty, but Brad Collins made a superb save to keep out the spot-kick by Gyokeres.

Barnsley, who had eight players booked, are now unbeaten in seven home league games against Coventry stretching back to 2009, five of them ending in wins.

And the result enabled Markus Schopp to emulate his three predecessors as Tykes boss - Daniel Stendel, Gerhard Struber and Valerien Ismael - by winning his first league match at Oakwell.

Schopp was again without Belgian signings Obbi Oulare and Aaron Leya Iseka, who are still not match fit, and also lost fellow forward Carlton Morris to injury after 33 minutes.

But Frieser found the net five minutes later to the delight of home supporters in the 13,961 crowd - his first goal at home, following three in away games last season.

Woodrow glanced a header wide of the target after the break but was then in the right place at the other end to prevent Rose from levelling the scores.

Coventry - managed by former Barnsley boss Mark Robins - continued to press and Collins had to make a flying save to keep out Gustavo Hamer's free-kick.

Robins sent on Jake Clarke-Salter, signed on loan from Chelsea on Friday, as a substitute and his perfectly timed tackle denied Clarke Oduor a chance to put Barnsley out of reach.

It looked like the Sky Blues were going to rescue a point when the referee awarded a penalty following substitute Jordan Williams' tackle on Allen, but they failed to repeat last weekend's stoppage-time goal that beat Nottingham Forest as Collins denied Gyokeres.

Barnsley head coach Markus Schopp said:

"It's so important to start with three points in our first home game. Everything gets easier when you get some points on the table.

"When you give away a penalty five minutes from the end, it's a tough one, but I guess it's a moment each goalkeeper is waiting for so that he can bring something to the team. To save a penalty five minutes from the end when the team is 1-0 up is a big thing.

"Coventry did play really well and we were struggling a bit. We take the three points but we know what we have to do better.

"I know we have to improve in a lot of situations. We have to improve in so many different ways."

Coventry boss Mark Robins told BBC Coventry & Warwickshire:

"I thought we dominated from start to finish, conceded a really poor chance in the first half which ends up in the net.

"Apart from that, they've done nothing and I thought we were outstanding in most areas, but we have to be more clinical in that final third.

"When we've got balls in and around their penalty area, we have to find a pass in the penalty area to make something happen, and be calm in there, and we lacked that a little bit.

"I want us on the front foot and for most of that game, we were."

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