Reds beaten but enjoy promotion party in Bristol

Luton Town won at home to Oxford United so won the league, with the Reds claiming the second automatic promotion place having made sure of a return to the Championship earlier in the week. They celebrated jubilantly with their fans after the game. 

Daniel Stendel made one change from the side that beat Blackpool in the last home game, with the injured Jacob Brown being replaced by Kieffer Moore while Dimitri Cavare returned to the squad.

The hosts should have taken the lead but Alex Jakubiak fired wide when unmarked ten yards out after meeting a left-wing cross.  The visitors took the lead in the 12th minute when Mamadou Thiam met a right-wing cross at the back post but his header was kept out by goalkeeper Adam Smith who also saved the next effort by Moore but it had crossed the line.

Liam Sercombe and Ollie Clarke both fired wide of the bottom left corner from the edge of the box then, at the other end, Smith pushed away a powerful shot from Moore from the edge of the box. Tony Craig deflected another Sercombe shot just wide.

Lindsay then picked up two bookings in quick succession for clear fouls as Rovers attempted to break into the Barnsley half and was sent off just before the break. From the resulting free-kick, Alex Rodman headed wide but Barnsley went in winning 1-0.

Stendel brought Cavare and Zeki Fryers on at half-time for Thiam and Moore as he changed to a back three of Cavare, Ethan Pinnock and Dani Pinillos. Jordan Williams and Fryers were the wing-backs with Mike Bahre behind Cauley Woodrow up front. 

Davies made a tremendous double save just before the hour-mark, denying substitute Gavin Reilly who had been put clean through on goal then brilliantly stopping the rebound from Jakubiak. Sercombe then headed over at right-wing cross at the back post. 

The equaliser eventually came when Alex Rodman was denied by another Davies save but the ball was passed back to him and his second effort, from eight yards out, went in off the crossbar. 

The match was a lot more even at 1-1 and Woodrow almost won it in the final minutes as he fired narrowly over twice from just outside the box. 

But it was the hosts who won it in injury-time when a cross from the left fell to Rodman and he fired through Davies’ legs from six yards out. 

Barnsley (4-4-2): Davies; J Williams, Pinnock, Lindsay, Pinillos; Bahre (Green 78mins), Mowatt, McGeehan, Thiam (Cavare HT); Moore (Fryers HT), Woodrow. Unused: Walton, Hedges, Jackson, Styles.  Yellow cards: Lindsay, McGeehan. Red cards: Lindsay.  Goals: Moore 12. Bristol Rovers (4-5-1): Smith; Craig, Lockyer (Kilgour 90+3mins), Kelly; Rodman, Upson (Lines 83), Sercombe, Ogogo (Reilly 58), O Clarke,  J Clarke; Jakubiak,  Unused: Slocombe, Nichols, Partington, Sinclair.  Goals: Rodman 71, 90+2.