Barnsley's good run was halted by a 1-0 defeat at home to Brentford on Tuesday night.
Former Reds striker Ivan Toney netted midway through the second half which the visitors dominated, but the hosts were denied what seemed a clear handball late on.
The result left Barnsley 14th in the Championship table with 16 points from 13 games, six off the top six and seven clear of the bottom three.
Barnsley matched the Bees in the first half but the visitors were on top after the break and always threatened from set pieces.
Valerien Ismael kept the team that had won the previous two games but brought young centre-back Jasper Moon onto the bench for Jordan Williams who has a slight injury.
Brentford began on top with Tariqe Fosu forcing Jack Walton to push over a powerful 25-yard effort then Rico Henry fired a low shot just wide of the bottom left corner from a similar distance.
Barnsley settled into the game and played some good football, including a move which saw a fine Alex Mowatt crossfield pass volleyed down on the right of the box by Callum Brittain to Conor Chaplin who found Matty James but the shot from just outside the box was well over. Mowatt then had Barnsley's first effort on target from the right side of the box but goalkeeper David Raya got down to his right to save.
Dominik Frieser was inches from connecting to a Brittain cross after a swift counter-attack involving another fine Mowatt pass.
Not much happened in the final 20 minutes of the first half as Brentford had 70 per cent possession before the interval but, after the first ten minutes, found the Reds very difficult to break through.
The visitors were clearly the better side in the second half, mainly threatening through set pieces. They had a succession of corners around the hour-mark, with Pontus Jansson heading one straight at Walton from eight yards out.
Eventually they made the breakthrough from a left-sided Mathias Jensen corner which was impressively headed into the bottom right corner by Toney from ten yards out midway through the second half. Toney did not score in 11 games at Oakwell while on loan from Newcastle in the 2015/16 but is one of the top-scorers in the Championship this season after Brentford bought him in a £10million deal.
It was almost 2-0 minutes later when Barnsley lost the ball deep in their half but Bryan Mbuemo blazed over from the right of the box.
Ismael made a triple change on 71 minutes with Herbie Kane, Victor Adeboyejo and Clarke Oduor coming on for James, Chaplin and Mowatt.
Barnsley seemed to be denied a clear handball when Adeboyejo brilliantly won the ball on the right and saw his cross hit the arm of Vitaly Janelt but the referee was unmoved.
Seconds later, Toney dragged a shot wide from the left of the box after a swift counter-attack. Brentford substitute Marcus Forss should have made it 2-0 in the 90th minute when he was clean through but Walton made a fine one-on-one save.
Barnsley (3-4-3): Walton; Sollbauer, Helik, Andersen; Brittain, Mowatt (Oduor 71mins), James (Kane 71), Styles; Frieser (Thomas 59mins), Woodrow, Chaplin (Adeboyejo 71) Unused: Collins, J Williams, Schmidt, Palmer, Miller. Yellow cards: Chaplin.
Brentford (4-3-3): Raya; Dalsgaard, Jansson, Pinnock, Henry; Jensen, Dasilva (Marcondes HT), Janelt, Mbuemo (Canos 78mins), Toney (Forss 87), Fosu (Ghoddos 87). Unused: Daniels, Thompson, Sorensen, Hammar, Pressley. Goals: Toney 67.
AS IT HAPPENED
  • GAME UNDERWAY
  • 7:46pm
    1 Mathias Jensen carries the ball deep into the Barnsley half despite rather physical challenges by Mowatt and Frieser then passes to Mbuemo on the right of the box but he runs it out of play
  • 7:49pm
    Mostly Brentford in the first four minutes with Barnsley yet to get on the ball much at all but no chances for either side
  • 7:52pm
    7 Former Barnsley striker Ivan Toney flicks on a long ball but Walton comes out of his box to kick clear
  • 7:53pm
    8 First shot of the game is by Tariqe Fosu from 25 yards out on the left and Walton pushes it over.
  • 7:53pm
    9 Barnsley defend the resulting corner and then the follow up cross
  • 7:55pm
    9 Brentford close again as Rico Henry smashes a low 25-yard effort just wide of the bottom left post after a Dalsgaard free-kick is half cleared
  • 7:57pm
    A better couple of minutes for the hosts. They have been on the ball more and put some crosses into the box with no joy
  • 8:01pm
    The game has settled down now and Barnsley are competing a lot better while starting to play some decent football
  • 8:02pm
    17 Nice move. Mowatt switches from left to right to Brittain who volleys down on the right of the box to Chaplin who finds James but his shot just outside the box is well over
  • 8:04pm
    19 Barnsley's first shot on target is from Alex Mowatt. He shoots from the right of the box but David Raya gets down to his right to save
  • 8:09pm
    A quarter of the way through the game. Bees on top for ten minutes but only threatened through long shots. Barnsley have settled into the game, with Matty James shooting over after an excellent move started by Mowatt who himself forced David Raya's first save soon after. 0-0. Even contest so far.
  • 8:12pm
    27 Decent work by Barnsley as they break on the counter. Mowatt plays the ball onto the right flank for Callum Brittain whose cross is just inches from being turned in by a sliding Frieser
  • 8:14pm
    29 Dominik Frieser takes a long throw from the left. It is cleared. Styles crosses from the right but that is also headed out
  • 8:15pm
    Barnsley are on top now., they are passing the ball around with swagger and the hosts are struggling to get out of their half over the last few minutes
  • 8:18pm
    Brentford have had a little spell of possession deep in their half. Barnsley not pressing too frantically and waiting for them to go further up the pitch then lose the ball which is happening a lot
  • 8:19pm
    34 Brentford win a corner on the right after Josh Dasilva runs through the middle of two home players
  • 8:19pm
    35 The corner goes over everyone and out
  • 8:24pm
    YELLOW CARD
    Conor Chaplin is the first name in the book after jumping into a challenge which leaves Henrik Dalsgaard on the floor
  • 8:26pm
    Brentford have had more of the ball in the last five minutes or so without doing much with it to threaten their hosts. Barnsley will be reasonably happy to go in a 0-0 then build momentum again in the second half. But there are still three minutes before the interval
  • 8:30pm
    Two added minutes at the end of this first half
  • 8:33pm
    HALF-TIME: Barnsley 0, Brentford 0. After a difficult first ten minutes, the Reds have settled into the match and created a few half chances. They look fairly comfortable against one of the fancied sides in the division
  • 8:50pm
    SECOND HALF UNDERWAY
  • 8:51pm
    Brentford bring on Emiliano Marcondes for Josh Dasilva
  • 8:54pm
    49 James takes a deep free-kick from the right which is cleared.
  • 8:55pm
    50 Barnsley win a corner on the right. James takes. Pinnock heads clear then crosses by Styles and James again are also cleared
  • 8:55pm
    50 Another Barnsley corner. They have started this half on top
  • 8:56pm
    51 James corner from the right is flicked by a defender's head and goes through the box.
  • 8:59pm
    54 Bryan Mbuemo shoots from 25 yards and it goes about a foot over the bar
  • 9:00pm
    55 Callum Styles blocks a clearance from a cross in the Brentford box and the ball almost breaks for Woodrow from close range but it just goes past him
  • 9:01pm
    56 Styles' right-wing free-kick is headed out
  • 9:03pm
    57 A Brentford free-kick leads to some head tennis in the Reds box then Mowatt nods behind
  • 9:03pm
    58 A corner from the right is headed by Jansson to Fosu whose cross is well defended by Sollbauer who heads behind for another corner
  • 9:04pm
    59 Jensen's low left-wing corner reaches Jansson whose stooping header from about eight yards out is straight at the goalkeeper
  • 9:05pm
    Barnsley's first change sees Luke Thomas come on for Frieser, who has struggled to make an impact today
  • 9:05pm
    60 Brentford having a good spell, Styles the latest to head behind for a corner
  • 9:06pm
    61 This corner from the right is headed by Pinnock but the referee says Sollbauer deflected it out for another corner. Barnsley not happy
  • 9:06pm
    61 Corner on the left win low and cleared
  • 9:12pm
    67 Another Brentford corner from the right. Headed into the bottom right corner by former Barnsley striker Ivan Toney Ivan Toney
  • 9:15pm
    They'll be really frustrated to concede a set piece goal. Brentford couldn't break through in general play in 1st half but have bombarded the box with corners after the break. Toney didn't score in 11 games at Oakwell as a Barnsley player but has done so now
  • 9:16pm
    Triple change. Kane, Adeboyejo and Oduor on for James, Chaplin and Mowatt
  • 9:23pm
    Brentford bring on Sergi Canos for Bryan Mbuemo
  • 9:26pm
    Into the final ten minutes here. Barnsley have offered little in the second half and haven't had a chance since the first quarter of the game.
  • 9:27pm
    Will Ismael use his last change to bring on Patrick Schmidt or George Miller?
  • 9:29pm
    83 Brentford have a corner on the right. It is cleared but then the ball is recycled and Brentford win a corner on the left
  • 9:30pm
    85 Jensen's left wing corner results in the scramble in the home box before it is eventually cleared
  • 9:31pm
    86 Adeboyejo does really well to win the ball on the right of the box and his cross seems to hit a Brentford hand in the box
  • 9:32pm
    86 Brentford break but Toney fires wide from the left of the box
  • 9:36pm
    90 Should be 2-0 as Marcus Forss is put clean through by Walton makes a fine one on one save
  • 9:49pm
    FULL-TIME: Barnsley 0, Brentford 1

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