Winnall sinks Latics battlers

Photo: Darren Robinson

PAINFUL . . . Carl Winchester receives treatment before being substituted.

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Barnsley 2, Athletic 1

ONE narrow defeat against a club in rich form shouldn’t by rights cause such a headache, but John Sheridan must have left Oakwell windering if someone at Athletic has run over a black cat in the past few days.

There is no doubting Barnsley was the more potent team here. They hit the post twice through Sam Winnall and looked every inch a side now on 16 wins in 24 games. If they don’t go up this year, caretaker boss Paul Heckingbottom will be planning a shot at automatic promotion next time around.

Athletic stuck to their task, netted a smart equaliser through Curtis Main and showed a welcome commitment to attack.

But despite their fight – literally in one penalty area battle – the real story from Oakwell is one of long-term worry regardless of the soft goals given away.

Two players left the field within the first 33 minutes. First Carl Winchester with a knee problem then, after colliding with Joel Coleman, Brian Wilson with a neck injury.

Add Mike Jones, who retired hurt at half-time with a rib injury, and James Wilson who played through an ankle problem, picking a fit XI for a game on Saturday - away to Fleetwood - that is arguably bigger than this was, starts to look difficult.

With no Matt Palmer for the first time since Sheridan’s return, Jake Cassidy came in for his first start since over the same period. He started in midfield, with Jonathan Forte on the bench with the idea of handing him a rest.

The start was the sort of bright one you would expect from a side that had enjoyed three successive victories. In the third minute a Jones centre was a fraction beyond the ever-willing Main.

Alfie Mawson then rose above Sheridan’s defence, nodding a yard wide of Coleman’s left-hand post, before at the other end in an end-to-end opening Main stung the palms of Adam Davies in the home goal with a low 20-yard daisy-cutter. Then came the injuries, disrupting the half so much nine minutes were added at half time.

First Jones went to ground after taking a blow before recovering, then Winchester hobbled away after a tackle with Aidan White.

Barnsley went close when Winnall hammered against a post on 27 minutes. Coleman rushed out to the striker only to collide with substitute Brian Wilson. The concussed defender was carried away on a stretcher.

Forte was introduced as Sheridan reshuffled, but the changes had an impact on Athletic's fluency.

After Cassidy had failed to connect when running at goal after lovely footwork from Main had created the chance, Winnall made it count in the third minute of added time by powering in a header from a corner.

Jack Tuohy (19) came on to replace Jones at half-time, for only his second league appearance.

Toney had the ball in the net in the 49th minute but was flagged for offside, having strayed well past a well-organised line. The same player was then the spark for an old-fashioned melee in the visitors’ goalmouth. A push on a defender led to Liam Kelly sprinting over to Toney for a word, answered by a push from Winnall and in turn, Coleman grabbed the Barnsley player before all the outfield players piled in. The referee booked both Winnall and Coleman - but the incident seemed to spark Athletic.

Tuohy floated over an ambitious attempt from 25 yards before Main turned his man, bullied his way past tacklers and hit an angled effort narrowly wide.

His goal came soon afterwards: Liam Kelly found Cameron Dummigan on the right and his smart cross was smashed in by the Doncaster loan man.

Two minutes later Coleman denied Winnall with a superb close-range save, deflecting the ball against a post.

Cassidy failed to react to an inviting cross, again from Dummigan, before the match-winning penalty helped put the home side three points away from the top-six.

Timothee Dieng gave away a free-kick, Barnsley’s Hourihane released dummy runner Hammill down the right and Tareiq Holmes-Dennis’s lunge saw the winger go to ground.

Winnall sent Coleman the wrong way from the spot and despite late pressure from Athletic, that was that. All eyes on the medical department.