Derby defeat leaves Reds four points adrift

The hosts led 1-0 at the break then doubled their lead early in the second half before Jacob Brown pulled one back. The Reds are now winless in 13 games which is their longest run since 1971 while they are four points adrift of safety. 

Caretaker Adam Murray kept the same team that drew 2-2 at West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday. Barnsley began well, with a series of early attacks and corners, and Dimitri Cavare should have played through Cameron McGeehan on goal but chose to have a shot which was blocked wide. Cauley Woodrow then deflected a McGeehan shot and it trickled well wide. 

Barnsley then spent the second half of the first half defending a lot, while the hosts thought they should have been given two penalties. The first was a trip by Bambo Diaby on Fraizer Campbell which was just outside the box but, later, Kenny Dougall appeared to miss the ball and bring down Elias Kachunga only for referee James Linington to wave away the appeals. 

The hosts eventually took the lead in the 29th minute from a clever free-kick routine which saw Danny Simpson play in Karlan Grant whose low cross from the right of the box was tapped in at the back post by centre-back Christopher Schindler. 

The visitors should have levelled within three minutes when Woodrow’s shot hit Conor Chaplin and dropped perfectly to McGeehan but, somehow, he shinned the ball over the bar from six yards out. 

Huddersfield started the second half well and doubled their lead seven minutes after the break. Lewis O’Brien skipped around Mads Andersen before passing to Grant who got away from Diaby before curling into the top right corner from 15 yards out.

Barnsley again had chances to reply instantly with Woodrow volleying wide from a Brown cross then Diaby heading well over five yards out from a Mowatt corner.  The hosts should have had a third when O’Brien rushed down the left wing and pulled the ball back for Grant whose shot was well saved by Collins, getting down to his left, but Kachunga blazed the rebound over from eight yards out. Kachunga then dragged a shot just wide from the edge of the box. 

Barnsley pulled one back in the 79th minute when Mowatt’s right-wing corner was only half-cleared and Andersen touched the ball to Brown who curled into the top left corner from ten yards out on the right of the box. It was his first goal of the season and first in the Championship.  Huddersfield came close to a 3-1 lead when substitute Adam Diakhaby volleyed over from eight yards out after good work by Grant on the left wing. Andersen could have levelled when he met a left-wing Mowatt free-kick but sent the header well wide. 

Collins then almost gifted the hosts a goal when he ran well out of his box and headed weakly to O’Brien whose 40-yard effort was well off target of the open goal. 

Barnsley (3-5-2): Collins; Diaby, Andersen, Sibbick; Cavare (Thomas 75mins), Mowatt, Dougall, McGeehan (Wilks 57), Brown; Woodrow, Chaplin  Unused: Walton, B Williams, Thomas, Bahre, Oduor, Simoes.  Yellow cards: Mowatt.  Goals: Brown 79.  Huddersfield: Grabara; Simpson, Elphick, Schindler, Brown; O’Brien, Hogg, Bacuna (Chalobah 68); Grant, Campbell (Diakhaby 69mins), Kachunga Unused: Schofield, Pritchard, Mounie, Stankovic, Hadergjonaj. Yellow cards: Schindler. Goals: Schindler 29, Grant 52.