Reds net in first minute but suffer third straight loss

Cauley Woodrow’s spectacular strike put the Reds ahead but visiting hat-trick hero Ollie Watkins levelled before the break then put his side in front 54 seconds into the second half before adding a third. 

Barnsley are third-bottom in the Championship table, three points adrift of safety, having collected five points from their first nine games. 

The hosts started strongly and could have gone 2-0 up but, as the game went on, Brentford’s front free of Watkins, Sergi Canos and Said Benrahma began to cause chaos for the Reds’ defence who could not cope with their pace and movement. The Bees missed several chances to win by a wider scoreline as they dominated the one-sided second half in front of the Sky Sports cameras.  Daniel Stendel made two changes from the side that lost 1-0 at Nottingham Forest eight days earlier as he brought in Dimitri Cavare for Dani Pinillos, with Jordan Williams moving to left-back, and Conor Chaplin for Mallik Wilks up front.  

The game started superbly for the Reds as, after 59 seconds, Woodrow curled a 22-yard effort into the top right corner. It was his second goal of the season, following another stunning strike against Charlton Athletic last month, and ended a wait of three games across more than a month for a Barnsley goal. 

Woodrow almost got another in the 11th minute but his low effort from just inside the box, after touches by Chaplin and Alex Mowatt, was deflected and went just wide of the bottom left corner. 

Brentford, who started the game poorly, had their first shot in the 25th minute when a counter-attack on the left saw Watkins square in the box to Benrahma whose 15-yard effort was brilliantly kept out by Brad Collins who sprang to his left. 

Luke Thomas fired tamely at David Raya from the edge of the box then, later, he beat the goalkeeper to a lofted Woodrow pass on the left wing and squared to Chaplin whose shot at the empty net from just inside the box was blocked by Pontus Jansson. It proved to be a crucial moment as the away side were on top for the rest of the game. 

The equaliser came on 35 minutes as Brentford counter-attacked from a corner and, with Barnsley getting back into position, worked the ball well with Benrahma finding Mathias Jensen on the right wing whose cross was headed in from six yards out by the unmarked Watkins. 

Brentford then came incredibly close to a second goal in four minutes as Watkins went clean through and beat Collins but his shot hit the base of the left post then, when the ball came back to him, he smashed against the crossbar eight yards out before Benrahma fired wide from even closer. 

There was another early goal in the second half but this time for the visitors who worked the ball down the right wing before Canos’ cross was misjudged by Collins and Watkins headed in almost on the line. 

Barnsley were then furious that the referee did not play advantage after a foul on Jacob Brown with Thomas running through on goal on the right. From the resulting free-kick, Woodrow headed tamely wide at the back post. 

Jensen had a 20-yard shot deflected narrowly over the bar by Aapo Halme then Benrahma put Canos clean through on the right of the box but he shot into the side netting when he could easily have passed to the unmarked Watkins who would have had a hat-trick. 

Stendel brought on Wilks and Patrick Schmidt for Thomas and Chaplin after 63 minutes but the Bees soon scored a third. Benrahma played a superb pass through the home defence to Canos on the right wing then the Spaniard’s cross was met six yards out by the unmarked Watkins and, although Collins got a hand to the headed effort, the ball trickled over the line. 

The visitors nearly got another when Benrahma exchanged clever passes in the box with Watkins but fired a low effort just wide of the bottom left corner from 12 yards out. Benrahma then fired a free-kick straight at Collins. 

Barnsley (4-4-2): Collins; Cavare (Thiam 75mins), Halme, Andersen, J Williams; Brown, Mowatt, Sibbick, Thomas (Wilks 63); Chaplin (Schmidt 63), Woodrow. Subs: Walton, Pinillos, Styles, Green.  Goal: Woodrow 1. 

Brentford (4-3-3): Raya; Dalsgaard, Jeanvier, Jansson, Henry; Jensen (Dasilva 85mins), Mokojto, Norgaard; Canos (Pinnock 80), Benrahma, Watkins (Karelis 88) Subs: Daniels, Mbeumo, Clarke, Zamburek. Goal: Watkins 35, 46, 68.