Marsh nets but Reds lose last home game

Teenage academy graduate Aiden Marsh opened the scoring but Barnsley lost 3-1 to Preston North End to complete a record-breakingly bad home season.

Marsh netted on his first league start for his hometown club but Preston’s Daniel Johnson levelled midway through the first half then gave them the lead early in the second half before they added another.

The relegated Reds remain bottom of the Championship with one game to play while they have broken a club record for the fewest home goals in a season with 18 in their 23 games.

It was a better performance overall than in the lacklustre loss to Blackpool four days earlier but Preston were the better side for most of the match and could have won by more.

Caretaker boss Martin Devaney made five changes from the team who lost very tamely to Blackpool on Tuesday.

Cauley Woodrow and Isaac Christie-Davies dropped to the bench while Mads Andersen, Callum Brittain and Remy Vita were out of the squad. Andersen and Brittain are understood to have picked up injuries.

Centre-back Jason Sraha, 19, made his debut following a loan at National League North Guiseley, with Marsh, Will Hondermarck, Victor Adeboyejo and Romal Palmer also coming into the 11.

Five of the starting 11 had come through the academy as had Kieren Flavell, 18, and Jordan Helliwell, 20, who were on the bench for a league game for the first time, joined by under 23s players David Bremang and Amir Ariely.

The Reds played 3-4-3 with Adeboyejo and Marsh flanking captain Carlton Morris in attack.

The visitors had the first chance when Ali McCann shot over just inside the box after Daniel Johnson’s low cross from the left was deflected to him.

But it was the hosts who opened the scoring in the 16th minute. After Hondermarck played the ball into the box from the right, Adeboyejo took advantage of hesitant defending to hook it from near the byline to Marsh who fired home from close range. It was a fantastic moment for the 18-year-old from Monk Bretton who had been an Oakwell season ticket holder from the age of three.

But Preston responded well and, after Jack Walton pushed away a low 20-yard shot by Ben Whiteman, they levelled in the 23rd minute.

Emil Riis played in Johnson on the left of the box and he found the bottom right corner from ten yards.

Palmer picked up an injury in the build-up to the goal with Clarke Oduor coming on for him and playing at left wing-back with Callum Styles moving to central midfield.

Walton pushed away Riis’ powerful effort from a tight angle on the right, after he was found by ex-Red Brad Potts, then another former Barnsley player Liam Lindsay headed the resulting corner onto the roof of the net.

Morris saw a shot from the edge of the box pushed away by Daniel Iversen who sprang to his right.

Whiteman crashed a 22-yard effort off the top off the bar after Sraha headed a left-wing cross to him.

Walton then got down to his left to push a Patrick Bauer header from a Potts cross out of his bottom left corner.

The visitors had been the more dangerous side in the first half but Barnsley had played with far more commitment and energy than in the previous game.

The second half started quietly but, nine minutes in, the visitors were ahead. After a good run and cross on the right by Potts, Johnson picked the ball up on the left of the box and curled a fine shot into the top right corner.

It should have been 3-1 when Sraha’s clearance was charged down by Cameron Archer who ran through on goal then squared to Riis who was impressively denied one-on-one by Walton.

Liam Kitching and Wolfe had weak long-range shots easily saved before Preston made it 3-1 when Riis latched onto a long ball, rounded Walton and scored from a very tight angle on the right.

Helliwell then came on for his league debut, before Wolfe fired over from 12 yards out on the right after a good move.

Young Preston substitute Mikey O’Neill almost made it 4-1 but fired wide of the bottom left post 15 yards out when through on the right after Styles lost the ball.

Morris looped a late header from a Styles corner straight to goalkeeper Iversen.

In injury-time, O’Neill was again released down the right of the box and crossed low for fellow substitute Sean Maguire whose five-yard effort was pushed over brilliantly by Walton.

Barnsley (3-4-3): Walton; Moon, Sraha, Kitching; Hondermarck (Helliwell 75mins), Palmer (Oduor 24mins), Wolfe, Styles; Adeboyejo, Morris, Marsh (Woodrow 68).

Unused: Flavell, Christie-Davies, Bremang, Ariely.

Goals: Marsh 16.

Preston (3-5-2): Iversen; Van den Berg, Bauer (Diaby HT) Lindsay; Potts, McCann, Whiteman, Browne, Johnson; Riis (Maguire 85), Archer (O’Neill 79).

Unused: Ripley, Cunningham, Rafferty, Sinclair.

Goals: Johnson 23, 54, Riis 74.