Reds end year with thrilling draw

Barnsley lost a 2-0 lead in a 2-2 draw at high-flying Peterborough United as 2023 ended with thriller.

The Reds raced two up through Herbie Kane and Devante Cole, both after forcing errors by pressing, but Jonson Clarke-Harris netted either side of half-time for 2-2.

It was a very entertaining game with plenty of chances at each end.

The Reds stay seventh in League One, now one point off the top six and five from second.

Owen Dodgson came into the side at left centre-back for the injured Jamie McCart while

Callum Styles replaced the benched Nicky Cadden at left wing-back. Peterborough started big striker Clarke-Harris in the league for the first time in more than two months.

Jordan Williams shot over from 15 yards in the first minute as Barnsley made a bright start. They pressed their hosts who tried to play out from the back and it paid off in the tenth minute when John McAtee tackled goalkeeper Nicholas Bilokapic in the box and the ball rolled to Kane 12 yards out to fire into the almost empty net for his sixth of the season.

Bilokapic claimed for a foul by McAtee and had to come off injured soon after.

Clarke-Harris then headed wide a right-wing cross as Posh had their first real chance on 25 minutes. Peter Kioso was inches away from what would have been a close-range tap-in after a blocked shoot looped into the air and went wide.

But Barnsley netted again when they won the ball deep in the Posh half as they had done regularly in the first 30 minutes. Corey O’Keeffe tackled Harrison Burrows in the left-back area and found McAtee who squared for Cole to fire high into the net five yards out for his 13th goal of the season.

Liam Roberts clawed out Josh Knight’s header from a left-wing corner then, at the other end, sub goalkeeper Talley dropped a free-kick but Mael de Gevigney could not get a shot off.

It was 2-1 in first half injury-time when, after Clarke-Harris headed a David Adiboye cross from the right, Roberts made a superb save but Williams appeared to slice the ball into his net when trying to hook off the line.

Kane almost made it 3-1 with a swerving 25-yard strike after a corner was saved then Phillips blazed the rebound over.

Joel Randall could have levelled on the stroke of half-time, going through after more poor defending but his low shot was saved by Roberts diving to his right.

Clarke-Harris made it 2-2 three minutes into the second half, heading home from close range after Burrows crossed from the left following a good move.

Barnsley were inches from going 3-2 up as, after Luca Connell played in Cole on the left, his low cross found O’Keeffe in yards of space at the back post but his powerful ten-yard shot hit the underside of the bar and bounced out.

Roberts saved easily his near post from Kwame Poku then, at the other end, Connell’s fine 20-yard effort was tipped around the post.

Peterborough thought they should have had a penalty when Connell slid in on Ephron Mason-Clark after a good run into the box but nothing was given.

Kane then saw a volley from the edge of the box blocked over the bar after a good cross by substitute Cadden.

Mason-Clark rattled the crossbar from the left of the box with a powerful 12-yard effort.

Cole saw a looping 20-yard effort easily saved then Roberts brilliantly came off his line to deny Ricky-Jade Jones who went clean through.

Barnsley (3-5-2): Roberts; Williams, de Gevigney, Dodgson; O’Keeffe (Lopata 66mins), Connell, Kane, Phillips (Cadden 66), Styles, Cole, McAtee (Watters 66).

Unused: Killip, Jalo, Cosgrove, Cotter.

Goals: Kane 10, Cole 31.

Peterborough (4-2-3-1): Bilokapic; Kioso, Edwards, Knight, Burrows; Katongo, Collins; Mason-Clark, Randall (Poku 55), Ajiboye, Clarke-Harris.

Unused: Talley, Crichlow, De Havilland, Kyprianou, Jones, Wakeling.

Goals: Clarke-Harris 45+2, 48.