Town's home win run remained at 12 games after Barnsley held the Blues to a 0-0 draw. Gavin Williams came closest to breaking the deadlock with a second half freekick which Tykes' keeper Heinz Müller superbly tipped over the bar.

As predicted by TWTD on Friday, Gavin Williams returned to the starting line-up with Owen Garvan dropping out of the 16 after a couple of quiet games. Otherwise, it was the Blues side which has become so familiar this season.

In the Barnsley team was one-time Town loanee Jon Macken, while Pablo Couñago spent time chatting with former Malaga team-mate Anderson De Silva before kick-off.

Town attacked the North Stand in the first half and, as against Southampton on Tuesday began the game slowly, with Barnsley the better side during the opening 10 minutes. Sam Togwell spurned a decent early opportunity when he mis-hit Istvan Ferenczi's cross from the right.

The Blues started to come more into the match after the quarter-hour with Jon Walters having a shot blocked inside the area.

Town briefly laid siege to the Tykes' goal around the 20 minute mark, passing the ball across the edge of the area before Tommy Miller eventually volleyed a shot into Müller's arms.

Pablo Couñago curled the ball to the German keeper's left, then the Spaniard won the ball from Dennis Souza on the byline, a defender lashing his low cross over the bar ahead of Tommy Miller.

Just before the half hour, David Wright was caught in possession by De Silva in his own half of the field. The ball was played in field to Grant McCann, whose shot was well saved by Neil Alexander. From the resultant corner, De Silva headed too close to the Town keeper.

On 32 Alan Lee made way for Danny Haynes with the Irishman suffering from a stomach bug and looking off the pace.

Billy Clarke shot over on 35 as he continued to look for his first goal of the season, prior to Souza picking up the game's first yellow card for a block on Danny Haynes.

Five minutes later Gavin Williams played a quick freekick to Jon Walters on the edge of the area, but the Irish B international's shot was too weak to test Müller.

Danny Haynes almost found himself space to get in a shot at goal from 10 yards in the 44th minute but was crowded out by the massed ranks of the Barnsley defence. From the corner the ball was cleared to Tommy Miller, but his shot was blocked.

As the half moved into injury time, Haynes shot across the face of goal from the right after good work from Jon Walters. Just prior to the whistle, De Silva shot wide from 30 yards.

After another sluggish first 10 minutes, the match had largely been played in the Barnsley half of the field with the Tykes defending in depth. The Blues had enjoyed spells of possession, but without creating too many opportunities to test the highly-rated Müller.

Tommy Miller and Pablo Couñago combined well in the opening minute of the second half, but the Spaniard's ball into the midfielder was too close to Müller.

Togwell shot straight at Alexander, before Jon Walters joined Pablo Couñago up front with Danny Haynes switching to the right of midfield.

The match, which by now was being played in very heavy rain, continued to be played almost entirely deep in the Barnsley half of the field. Tommy Miller came close to getting on the end of a Gavin Williams chip over the top into the box, but was prevented from doing so by a number of defenders, leading to some half-hearted penalty protests.

Just after the hour, there was a scare for the Blues after they failed to clear the ball and Togwell hit a shot across the face of goal. The ball ran back out to De Silva, Alex Bruce deflecting his strike wide.

On 62 Gary Roberts took over from Billy Clarke on the left of midfield, just prior to Town almost going in front. Gavin Williams curled a 25-yard freekick over the wall and looked to have scored until Müller got across to his right to tip the ball over.

From the corner, the ball was cleared back to Williams on the left flank, the Welshman sending in a deep cross to the far post from where Danny Haynes struck a volley into the upper tier of the Greene King Stand.

De Silva shot wide from 30 yards, before neither Walters nor Couñago could get in a clean strike during a goalmouth scramble inside the Barnsley area.

Tykes left-back Dominik Werling, bearing the number 55, struck a fearsome low 40-yard drive in the 77th minute which Alexander pushed out for a corner even though it appeared the ball would have gone wide. Werling looked very much like Roberto Carlos and the shot was well worthy of the former Real Madrid man.

With 10 minutes remaining, Müller failed to get any distance as he punched Gavin Williams's freekick from the left, the ball falling to Gary Roberts. The ex-Accrington man's shot appeared to strike Tommy Miller as it made its way through a crowd of players towards goal and deflected to safety.

Jason De Vos will feel he should have hit the target with his 84th minute header from another Williams corner, but the ball flew wide. The Canadian's chance was to prove the game's last with a yellow card for De Silva for a foul on Roberts the final incident before referee Andy Penn blew his whistle.

Town weren't at their best against a Barnsley side which was happy to sit back and defend in depth after a starting the stronger of the two sides. Despite enjoying the vast majority of the possession, the Blues didn't create enough chances and Town didn't test Müller severely enough.

The Tykes' cautious approach may well be something we get used to from opposition sides in the months to come and probably would have seen more of already but for a number of early Town goals.

It was notable that most of the Blues' best opportunities came from set-pieces taken by the returning Gavin Williams, who had spells where he controlled the game, but still looks a little way off full fitness.

Town weren't helped by having to withdraw Alan Lee, the Couñago-Haynes partnership not really working and Jon Walters not proving as effective in a central role during the second half as he has in his regular right-sided position.

The big plus for the Blues was the second successive clean sheet with Neil Alexander again impressive and looking more and more confident as the season progresses.

Town will be disappointed to see the home win run end at 12 games, however, a first away victory in eight months at Bristol City on Tuesday will more than make up for it.

Town: Alexander, Wright, Harding, De Vos, Bruce, Williams, Miller, Walters, Clarke (Roberts 63), Lee (Haynes 32), Couñago. Unused: Supple, Wilnis, Legwinski. Att: 19,540.

Photo: Action Images

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