Match Analysis: Barnsley 2 Birmingham City 2 - Paul Heckingbottom demands more from Reds

Sam Winnall and Tom Bradshaw scored twice within the space of five first half minutes as Barnsley bossed the game.

But they switched off and allowed Jacques Maghoma to pull a goal back against the run of play.

And their misery was complete when Lukas Jutkiewicz levelled from the spot on 52 minutes in an incident which saw Marc Roberts sent off.

Heckingbottom said: “It’s difficult to sum the game up. We were two up and gifted them a goal to make it 2-1.

“I was pleased with our energy levels, how we limited their chances and how we pressed them.

“But we missed chances to dominate with the ball at times in the first half and then it all changed with the red card.

“We were great with 10 men and limited them to few chances and created the best chances.

“We had lots of good bits in the first half but we want to play a perfect game.

“We know we can’t do that all the time but we have to try. We have to do better with the ball.”

No complaints over penalty

Heckingbottom had no complaints over the penalty and red-card that ultimately cost his side dear.

“The rule is if you’re not making a genuine attempt to play the ball it’s a red card,” he said.

“If I had been Zola and it was the other way round I would be fuming if it wasn’t given.

“Robbo has not gone to play the ball, it is just the nature of their paths colliding, that is where the rule is harsh and we have to accept that.”

But the Barnsley boss praised his side for the way his players responded to the setback.

“We watched the penalty back and Marc Roberts will learn from his errors today,” he said.

“Roberts will be missed for us, but we have got Jacko (Adam Jackson) back and it is good for him to get minutes with the games coming so fast.

“If people had been betting on who would win at 2-2, and with us having 10 men, they would have been backing Birmingham.

“The response when we went down to 10 men was superb, we went to a new level. You have to go to a new level and we had the better chances.”

refusing to set targets

And, despite being on the verge of the player off places, Heckingbottom says he is setting no targets for 2017.

“I don’t set targets, we just keep pushing and pushing,” added Heckingbottom.

“We may finish lower than we should or we may get some luck and finish higher than we should, but where we end up will not be through a lack of effort.”

Heckingbottom also promised that the Reds would continue giving 100 per cent as they seek to improve each week.

He added: “We are all about improving all the time and the consequences are get bigger clubs looking at your players and we lose Andy Yiadom to his national team.

“We will give everything every day and that is what we expect at the club.

“We work hard and do it because we love what we do. You have a responsibility to enjoy what we do.

“We are not scared to try and win a game on the front foot, on the back foot, with or without the ball.

“It will take a good team to stop us competing.We work on every aspect of the game and the players have been good at every aspect of the game.”