It took penalties to separate Rec and Barnsley U21s after a
1-1 tie in normal time, the visitors finally successful 4-2 on penalties, qualifying
for the third round of the Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup.
Josh Berry had gave Athersley a lead after five minutes
before Barnsley’s Josiah Dyer levelled shortly before the break at Sheerien
Park.
Whilst Jimmy Purcell and Nicholas Lalousis’s penalties were
missed, The Reds scored all four to qualify.
Five changes were made for Wednesday’s cup tie; Lewis Field,
Bradley Green, Kenneth Effah, Billy MacDonald & Josh Berry were all introduced
into the starting line-up. Theo Peat had a place on the bench.
For the second consecutive fixture, Rec took a lead within
five minutes. Lalousis’ initial effort from distance was parried away to the ‘keeper’s right,
where Josh Berry was first to react with a header which lobbed Kieran Flavell.
Lalousis turned down a second attempt from an identical
position, continuing the ball on it’s way wide-left. Sam Thompson’s first-touch
bought him time & space to send in the ball for Lalousis after Purcell had found the winger initially from central.
Rec’s aggressive start in the opening fifteen minutes was
complimented by Effah and James Byford managing any attempts at going direct
from the visitors.
Barnsley did begin to find space in front of Rec’s
back line on twenty minutes, Callum West able to run onto a shot but hitting over.
Chrysolite Ogbu was found beyond Byford but the centre-half wouldn’t
allow the receipient to run infield, the wide-man slicing his shot from a tight angle.
Josiah Dyer was under a dropping ball inside the box from the
cross towards the far post but too is Effah who’s able to continue to dominate
the space around him.
Dyer was to benefit with the equaliser three minutes before the break, in
which the decision to go first-time was matched by the placed finish across
goal. A powerful cross was cut back to the edge of the box and met with a
side-footed volley guided into the side-netting.
Ellis Pickard had to push away from his top left-hand corner
to deny Emmaisa Nzondo’s effort with the outside of his left boot, curling the
ball inwards toward the far post only minutes before the break.
Pickard was unable to hold the low shot towards his
left-hand post minutes after the restart but Berry’s covering to clear the ball behind before a follow-up
shot can be made. The corner is won by the visitors but with no power on the header
to threaten Rec’s goal.
The hosts’ ‘keeper is well behind Nzondo’s next effort, a
placed shot with the instep of his boot towards the bottom right-hand corner,
pushing firmly away from goal.
There’s a reminder of the visitors’ threat from wide when a low ball from the left pinballs between several bodies in Rec’s box before the threat was cleared.
Edging towards the final quarter of an hour, Barnsley had a
strong hold of possession and Ziggy Kozluk was spare high on the right before powering
a delivery all the way across the face of Pickard’s goal without a touch to finish.
Dyer went close to his second when hitting the bar when a lobbed
effort dropped onto the roof of the woodwork and bounced out.
Green was grounded inside the box when able to run at goal,
falling between two Reds’ challenges but the ref is right over the top of it
and clearly signals for no penalty.
Barnsley are more successful in their appeals moments later
down the other side as Callum West is brought down on the edge, slightly left
of centre. The attempt is towards the far top corner but Pickard can reach it
to push away.
Barnsley had the ball in the net following their next
set-piece, from further out this time and wide on their right. In meeting the
delivery, Barnsley are adjudged to have gone about it illegally and the whistle
is sounded before the ball can bounce into goal.
It was straight to penalties when the ref called time after
the ninety minutes.
Jimmy Purcell hit the first penalty over for Rec whilst the
following three spot kicks, including Jack Briscoe’s, were all converted.
When Nicky Lalousis’ effort was saved for Rec's third effort,
The Reds’ U21s needed to convert their next two to qualify. This meant despite Sam
Thompson’s converted penalty, it wasn’t enough to deny Barnsley progression to
the third round.
