Middlesbrough 2-0 Barnsley: Boro secure third win in four against struggling Tykes
- Published
- comments
Slovenia international Andraz Sporar is on loan at Middlesbrough from Sporting Lisbon
Middlesbrough beat lowly Barnsley to secure their third win in four matches.
The visitors had a great chance to open the scoring early on when Clarke Oduor latched on to a defensive mistake to run in on goal but he struck the post with his low effort.
Boro took the lead when Andraz Sporar headed home from Paddy McNair's lofted cross after the Tykes had half-cleared a corner.
Home forward Duncan Watmore spooned the ball over the crossbar with the goal gaping after the break but Matt Crooks wrapped up the points late on.
Struggling Barnsley, who finished fifth last season, are 23rd in the table with just one league win all season.
They really should have opened the scoring when Oduor latched on to Sol Bamba's under-hit backpass and raced in on goal but the former Leeds forward's low shot hit the outside of the post.
Boro reacted well and took the lead through Sporar's header and Watmore and Marcus Tavernier both forced saves from visiting goalkeeper Bradley Collins as they looked to build on their advantage.
Barnsley made a good start to the second half and Callum Brittain probably ought to have done better when Joe Lumley spilled Cauley Woodrow's initial effort out to him.
Tavernier smashed a shot just wide of the angle of post and bar before Watmore somehow contrived to shoot over from six yards when Sporar had unselfishly squared for him.
Neil Warnock's men eventually made the points safe when Crooks headed in from the second phase of a set play, although Bamba's celebration suggested he had got the last touch.
Markus Schopp's men host local rivals Sheffield United on Sunday, while Boro will look to continue their progress when they travel to woefully out-of-form Cardiff on Saturday.
Middlesbrough boss Neil Warnock told BBC Tees:
"They put me through the ringer. We should have won it easier but we didn't. I thought when Duncan missed that one, they might just get that one chance, but it wasn't to be.
"The lads did ever so well, and Sol Bamba reckons that second goal is his, he got a touch to it apparently.
"Duncan slipped [for the miss], there's no excuse; he could have gone down on his knees and headed it in, but he's worked himself on every blade of grass tonight.
"I thought their left-footed effort early on was in. It might have made the crowd uneasy, but we stepped up a gear. There are so many playing out of position at the moment but they grew into it. We realised what we were doing and got on the front foot."
Barnsley boss Markus Schopp told BBC Radio Sheffield:
"I think we started good, we had two big chances, and in our situation it would have been so important to get that first goal. But what you saw after 20 minutes when they scored, we lost our confidencefor a big part but we put things in order at half-time.
"We get in the last third and we don't score. Then we have a team that had two goals from two set-pieces.
"It was open until the second goal. It's the same as I say every week. It's all about getting the ball in the goal. The minute we do that, we're moving in the right direction.
"What I saw was in the situation we are in right now, it's crucial to score. Even today, we could have done something to create a big impact on this team.
"The young players have done a good job, but things don't work the right way when we need it."