Reds out of trophy

Barnsley are out of all the cups this season after a 2-1 defeat at Blackpool in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday.

John McAtee netted just before half-time but Blackpool netted twice early in the second half.

The Reds were on top before conceding and should have been further ahead but Blackpool took control of the game after the break.

Neill Collins made three changes from the last league game.

Devante Cole and Luca Connell were rested and Jordan Williams on the bench. In came Kacper Lopata, Sam Cosgrove and Adam Phillips. Young goalkeeper Paul Cooper was on the bench. Herbie Kane was named as captain.

Barnsley began brightly with John McAtee’s ambitious long-range lob easily caught then Nicky Cadden saw a cross beaten away after brilliantly beating a defender.

McAtee watched a powerful volley from 20 yards turned wide by the goalkeeper then, from the resultant Kane corner flicked on by Cosgrove, Lopata could not scramble it past a defender two yards out.

At the other end, Albie Morgan and Jenson Weir had low long range efforts easily saved by Ben Killip. Jake Beesley shot well over from 20 yards after Jordan Gabriel was played clean through by a long ball then passed backwards.

The deadlock was broken late in the first half when a long ball totally opened up the home defence and McAtee went clean through to beat the goalkeeper. It was his sixth goal for the Reds, all away from home.

McAtee came off injured at half-time and was replaced by Max Watters who should have scored within seconds of the re-start after robbing a defender in the b ox but the goalkeeper saved one-on-one.

It was 1-1 soon after as a clever ball down the right totally caught the Reds out and Jensen Weir was able to square to Owen Dale to tap in.

Dale almost got two in two minutes but his shot from the edge of the box was held by Killip.

Beesley then went clean through after a lucky deflection but Killip made a fine one-on-one stop.

Beesley eventually scored just after the hour-mark when he headed Albie Morgan’s right-wing cross into the top left corner.

Cosgrove should have made it 2-2 but nodded just wide of the bottom left corner after Barry Cotter volleyed Jamie McCart’s cross straight to him.

Killip saved easily from a Dale shot on the left of the box after the same player thought he should have had a penalty for a foul by McCart.

Substitute Fabio Jalo’s injury-time free-kick from 25 yards was caught by Richard O’Donnell.

Blackpool. (3-5-2): O’Donnell; Ekpiteta, Casey, Connolly; Gabriel (Lyons 72), Oakley-Boothe, Weir (Virtue 72), Morgan, Thompson; Dale, Beesley

Unused: Chapman, Joseph, Carey, Virtue, Lyons, Tharme, Nyame.

Goals: Dale 49, Beesley 62.

Barnsley (3-5-2): Killip; de Givegney, Lopata (Williams 58mins), McCart; Cotter, Styles (O’Keeffe 90+1), Kane, Phillips, Cadden (Dodgson 73); McAtee (Watters HT), Cosgrove (Jalo 75).

Unused: Cooper, Russell.

Yellow cards: Watters

Goals: McAtee 42.