BARNSLEY helped their Championship survival mission with two second-half goals against ninth-placed Millwall at rainy Oakwell - one of them from debutant Jason Scotland.
The Reds had new signing Jason Scotland on the bench, joining defenders Bobby Hassell and Scott Wiseman, who had been injury doubts, while Stephen Dawson and Jim McNulty were both absentees.
Millwall had striker Rob Hulse, formerly of Sheffield United, now on loan from Queens Park Rangers, on the bench. He came on later.
Irish striker Andy Keogh almost punished the Reds on 12 minutes after Tom Kennedy fumbled the ball in the Reds’ half.
Then there was a spell of promising Barnsley pressure.
The home fans were yelling for a penalty after 15 minutes, but the officials weren’t having any of it.
Kelvin Etuhu also set Chris Dagnall on his way, but goalie David Forde had seen the danger early and cleared the danger.
Neither team managed to break the deadlock before half time.
Three minutes after the break, man of the match Jim O’Brien tested Forde, who unconvincingly sent the ball out for a corner.
Oakwell was ringing with applause for workaholic striker Chris Dagnall tunnelled through the Lions’ defence, but sadly fired into side netting.
And the crowd was on its feel when the scouser put the Reds ahead on 57 minutes, an assist going to Marlon Harewood.
Shortly afterwards, Harewood made way for Scotland to make his debut.
It proved an inspired substitution by David Flitcroft, as Scotland scored almost immediately, from the edge of the area, to the top corner of the goal.
Quite an entrance for the 33-year-old forward!
And quite a boost as on-form Barnsley seek to cling on the Championship status.
Teams: Barnsley: Steele, Stones, Cranie, Foster, Kennedy, Golbourne, O’Brien, Perkins, Etuhu, Harewood, Dagnall.
Subs: Alnwick, Hassell, Wiseman, Scotland, Rose, Mellis, Noble-Lazarus.
Millwall: Forde, Shittu, Trotter, Henry, Feeney, Beevers, Keogh, Smith, Abdou, Osborne, Marquis.
Subs: Taylor, Wright, Hulse, Batt, Lowry, Woolford, Smith.
Referee: Nigel Miller
Assistant Referees: Billy Khatib, Steven Meredith.
Fourth Official: Nick Gibbons.
Att: 7,844.
Read Neil Goulding’s analysis in Wednesday’s Star.
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