Poor tackles from Darren Moore and Robert Kozluk gifted the League One club two first-half spot-kicks - and Michael O'Connor and Anthony Elding took advantage to send the Railwaymen into the second round at Gresty Road.

The Reds stunned Premiership giants Liverpool and Chelsea on a breathtaking FA Cup run last season before eventually succumbing to Cardiff in the semi-final at Wembley.

But there was to be no cup heroics for Simon Davey's misfiring side as they slumped to a second defeat in four days.

"It's very disappointing," admitted the Barnsley boss. "We had enough chances to finish the game three times over but we didn't take them.

"I've no complaints with the penalties but we've had chance after chance and we should have been putting them away."

The Tykes manager made three changes to the side which lost its opening Championship encounter at big-spending QPR at the weekend.

Maceo Rigters, on loan from Blackburn, came in for the rested Jon Macken, Robert Kozluk took over from the injured Mounir El Haimour, while the impressive Diego Leon replaced the suspended Marciano van Homoet following the Dutchman's dismissal in West London three days earlier.

Barnsley found themselves behind after 12 minutes. Veteran defender Moore clumsily brought down Tom Pope with the Railwaymen's striker heading away from goal.

O'Connor and Elding squabbled briefly over who would be the recipient of Crewe's good fortune, with the former eventually slotting home.

The visitors could have been level immediately though. Leon seeing his superb 25-yard free-kick tipped acrobatically onto the crossbar by Steve Collis.

The Spaniard's effort seemed to spark the Reds into life and the former Real Madrid youngster, who was at the centre of most of Barnsley's best work, went close again when he flashed a shot across the face of goal on the half-hour mark.

But the Reds were rocked five minutes later by conceding a second penalty, this time Kozluk tripping Byron Moore in the area. This time Elding took the responsibility and converted emphatically.

Barnsley needed to hit back quickly after the interval, and they nearly did. Once again it was Leon causing the problems, his close-range effort being blocked on the line nine minutes after the restart.

Davey threw on Macken as the Tykes searched for a way back in the tie and the substitute almost scored with his first touch but he fired over from six yards.

Barnsley did have the ball in the back of the net with eight minutes to go when sub Kayode Odejayi rifled home, only for play to be mysteriously brought back for an early foul on a Reds player.

That summed up a miserable night for the visitors and Davey will have to regroup his troops quickly before Saturday's visit of Coventry as they look to belatedly kick-start their season.

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