Barnsley sub Jim O’Brien’s 70th minute equaliser claimed his side’s first away point of the season at Portman Road. Daryl Murphy headed the Blues in front in the 41st minute with Town on top, but the visitors were the better side after the break. Aaron Cresswell was sent off after the final whistle for foul and abusive language after Town were denied a late penalty when Frank Nouble appeared to be brought down.

On Mick McCarthy’s first anniversary as Blues boss, Town were unchanged for a seventh successive match for the first time since a club record 12-game run in the 1991/92 Second Division Championship-winning campaign.

Striker Paul Taylor, who was recalled from his loan at Peterborough on Wednesday, was on the bench, while former Blue Jason Scotland was amongst the Tykes’ subs.

Neither side managed a shot on goal in an uneventful opening 10 minutes. On 12 Tommy Smith required treatment for a head wound after an aerial clash with Chris O’Grady, the centre-half returning to the fray sporting a bandage.

The game gradually started to come to life. Luke Chambers lost out to Tykes’ skipper Martin Crainie from a Paul Anderson cross from the right in the 17th minute, then Dean Gerken claimed a through ball ahead of Marcus Pedersen. A minute later, Daryl Murphy diverted a Ryan Tunnicliffe cross well wide.

On 23 Aaron Cresswell wasted a freekick on the right by hitting a shot into the Barnsley wall when he should have crossed. The ball looped up to Luke Hyam, who headed the ball into the area, Smith nodded it on ahead of Tykes’ keeper Jack Butland, but over the bar.

At the other end, Gerken came out to clear ahead of Pedersen with his feet. He ball fell to Paddy McCourt who shot towards the open goal but Cresswell blocked and the Town keeper claimed. Almost immediately, play switched to the other end and Anderson scraped a shot over.

Town were starting to get on top and in the 27th minute Cresswell’s cross from the left deflected off Cranie to Butland, the keeper, who was at Portman Road with the England U21s last month, reacting well to save.

Just before the half hour David McGoldrick lashed wildly off target with former Barnsley loanee Tunnicliffe better placed to his left.

Town were dominating possession and on 33 Chambers found McGoldrick with a pass over the top from deep but the frontman lost his footing when well placed. The Blues quickly regained possession, however, and Cresswell smashed a cross shot which flew only narrowly wide of Butland’s left post. Two minutes later Chambers headed over from a corner.

The Blues got the goal their pressure deserved in the 41st minute. Cresswell sent over a corner from the left and Murphy rose highest to head the ball down and into the net for his fourth goal of the season.

Town looking to increase their lead over the Tykes, who lost Jacob Mellis to an injury two minutes before the break, Anderson hitting a low shot through to Butland.

The Blues were worthy of their lead at the break. After the game had begun in a very understated manner, Town got on top and had threatened a number of occasions before Murphy’s goal. Barnsley, defeated in all six of their away games so far this season, had rarely threatened Gerken’s goal.

Murphy hit a weak shot to Butland early in the second half, then on 50 O’Grady forced Gerken to save well to his right with a 25-yard shot after Pedersen’s knockdown.

Tunnicliffe sent a low ball across the face of Barnsley’s goal in the 51st minute, before Tykes sub Jim O’Brien shot over.

On 54 Chambers almost played McGoldrick in with a superb ball over the Barnsley backline from inside his own half. However, Butland came off his line quickly to claim ahead of the Town striker.

Barnsley started to get the upper hand, keeping hold of the ball better than the Blues with the home crowd beginning to get frustrated. However, other than a blocked O’Grady effort they’d failed to create a significant opportunity.

Cole Skuse volleyed wide on 63 but it was still mainly Barnsley, Pedersen throwing himself unsuccessfully at a 66th minute cross from the left. The Norwegian had an even better opportunity two minutes later but curled a shot over when in space on the edge of the Town box.

Moments later, the Blues switched Anderson, who had drifted out of the game in the second half, for Jay Tabb, Tunnicliffe moving to the right.

The visitors netted the goal that their second half performance had deserved in the 70th minute. After Town had failed to deal with a cross from the right, McCourt chipped back into the box, Smith and O’Grady challenged in the air and the loose ball fell to O’Brien, whose low shot beat Gerken to his right.

O’Brien hit another effort not far over soon after his goal, then Murphy headed a Cresswell corner over. Ex-Blue Scotland came on for the final 16 minutes for Pedersen.

Two minutes after coming on the Trinidad and Tobago international, who had received warm applause from his old fans, was nodded in on goal by O’Grady, but Christophe Berra got back to challenge as he looked to shoot.

Skuse teed up Chambers just outside the area in the 77th minute, the right-back lashing a shot which Butland failed to hold on to with Tabb unlucky that the loose ball didn’t fall to him.

Blues boss Mick McCarthy swapped Frank Nouble and Paul Taylor for Tunnicliffe and McGoldrick with the Town top scorer’s departure met with boos.

With four minutes remaining former Blue Scotland had a chance to seal it for the visitors. A freekick from deep on the left reached the 34-year-old, but he slammed his shot into the sidenetting.

The visitors were looking the more likely winners and a goalmouth scramble following a corner eventually saw Berra clear Crane’s effort from inside the six-yard box. O’Brien again went close in the 88th minute but could only divert a ball over the top into Gerken’s arms.

Town began to put on the pressure as scheduled time ran down, Tabb’s shot from Chambers’s cross from the right deflecting wide with Nouble making a despairing lunge at the far post. Tabb’s corner hit the first man.

The Blues had what looked to be a good shout for a penalty in injury time when Nouble turned past Jean Yves M’voto and looked to be tripped by the defender, albeit coupled with a fair amount of shirt pulling on both parts, but despite vehement protests from the Town players referee Andy D’Urso waved away the complaints.

The arguments continued as the players left the field and Cresswell was red-carded after the whistle had gone for foul and abusive language.

On the balance of what was a poor game overall, Barnsley were worth their point. While the Blues had been the better of two disappointing sides before the break, the South Yorkshiremen were on top for most of the second half with Town as poor as they’ve been at home for some time.

Mick McCarthy will be disappointed that his team failed to claim all three points having been ahead on home turf and also with Cresswell’s needless late, late dismissal.

Town: Gerken, Chambers, Smith, Berra, Cresswell, Anderson (Tabb 69), Hyam, Skuse, Tunnicliffe (Taylor 82), Murphy, McGoldrick (Nouble 82). Unused: Loach, Hewitt, Mings, Edwards.

Barnsley: Butland, Kennedy, Cranie, O'Grady, Perkins, Wiseman, Pedersen (Scotland 74), Mellis (O'Brien 43), M'voto, Fox, McCourt (Etuhu 81). Unused: Hassell, Dibble, Cywka, Jennings. Referee: Andy D’Urso (Billericay). Att: 18,361 (Barnsley: 175).

Photo: Action Images

Notts_tractor added 00:36 - Nov 2 Love your Feelgoods profile pic, beerhelps
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afrodids added 00:44 - Nov 2 Sh1t
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PavlovsCat added 01:20 - Nov 2 LintonBlue Please don't bother, you're really not welcome. Go watch Chelsea or Man City if you're just chasing glory. What a sad, sad person.
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slowerball added 01:32 - Nov 2 Having been at Wigan, Sheff Wed, Bolton...... where the "we are away from home" adage was wheeled out, this wasn't good to watch. We should not need luck and a dodgy pen to beat Barnsley, we should be winning games at Bolton, home to Barnsley, etc. Very poor. I'll be at Bloomfield Rd next week, where I would take a draw now if it were offered. Not sure we are moving forward to be honest, and my expectations are realistic. We rode our luck in the 2nd half - credit to Barnlsey. In a word, ordinary.

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Walk_the_Wark added 02:05 - Nov 2 Keanish- you're starting to get it.. MM OUT NOW!!!!
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Walk_the_Wark added 02:24 - Nov 2 I take no pleasure in saying 'I told you so', but this was coming right from the start. And those who say who else is there?- We've missed out on a few good ins already, but I'd be quite happy with Burley, Buthcher, Mowbray or even Warnock. Holloway is class and we should have got hime first time around. Funny- I was lambasted for suggesting Holloway and Redknapp when MM was appointed. 'They won't come here!!' . "Redknapp won't manage in the championship". Well guess what, Holloway is available and Redknapp is bl**dy managing in the championship. Aboiut time this club showed some ambition and secured a manager who wants to develop premiership-style pass and move football. Swansea and West Brom have shown that that can be developed in the Championship, and they've stuck in the Premiership. You can't just get promoted and change all your playing staff and style overnight. Mick has shown that he cannot adapt to Premiership football.. His dogged 2 banks of 4 no nonsense approach was ideal to keep us up last year, but he should- as I said at the time- been given that as his one and only objective. We will go nowhere under this dinosaur. Been saying it for a year, and getting bored now. Those of you who are calling for different formations and creativity- forget it- you will not get it. He needs to go, and to be honest almost anyone would be better IMO. Just a shame we missed out on Poyet. Would have loved to see that man bring creative, modern, passing football to PR.

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Walk_the_Wark added 02:41 - Nov 2 Sorry for the typos- written in a rush. Think it still makes sense tho :/
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BlueMachines added 04:04 - Nov 2 McCarthy post match interview “We were all right in the first half." “First half, it was just a scrappy Championship game." These 2 sentences say it all. In his own words he is happy to scrap. Not good enough.
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BlueMachines added 04:08 - Nov 2 And, it was never a penalty. It was right in front of me and he took his only option as Nouble isn't good enough to do anything else!!
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blues1 added 06:25 - Nov 2 timmy h. yes, ur right that the fact we had a ticket promotion helped. But you have to take into account that it was a very unattractive game to attract a good crowd, and it was on a Friday night, on sky. add to that there were only 175 Barnsley fans there, and that probably means that it was the largest number of home fans there all season so far. even with a ticket promotion again for the Leicester match, I'll be surprised if we get that many again

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Rudyard83 added 07:10 - Nov 2 First half we were good. I was getting my hopes up and all exited but just as in the Derby match, we were poor in the second half. Our ref was awful. Now that was not a red card and everyone hates the ref. I disagree with serene blue, we need to keep Mccarthy but he needs to change the team.
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chevvymalc added 07:17 - Nov 2 A very poor display we have just gone back 2 years dishing up bland and predictable football. we will never get anywhere even if the defence and midfield play ok until we commit more players to the oppositions penalty box when attacking not just on free kicks and corners we barely had more than 1 against 4 so it was easy even for the struggling Barnsley who we made to look like a better outfit. It sums it up when our best striker ended up playing deeper trying to create something. I will still keep the faith but its getting a bit thin.

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BrandonsBlues added 07:25 - Nov 2 I was given a free ticket to last nights match, could not go, so tried 12 people no-one wanted it. I dont have sky so did not watch it either. Only listened to it on the radio as usual, fell asleep in 2nd half just after Barnsley scored. What does it prove, absolutley nothing or the fact that the club is so bad very few people care anymore apart from those die hards who must wonder why they continue to go. Unchanged in 7 games, 1 win, 2 defeats and 4 draws. statistically changes are required before the next game, and midfield looks the the most in need. Get rid of nouble from the team, and rearrange the defence to last years more solid back 4.

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battyblue added 08:12 - Nov 2 Its so frustrating being a town supporter i thought we were heading in the right direction at the beginning of the season now we have turned around and heading the opposite direction but still we play the same team the same system the same tactics and bring on the same subs in the same order no ambition no passion hoof ball like others i think MM did his job keeping us up which i am eternally grateful but we need someone to take us on now

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Pip50 added 08:19 - Nov 2 Thought after the first half we would kick on and I would eat my words "one point McCarthey" The most worrying thing was he didn't see to know what to do Tabb ? Out managed by a young and upcoming manger. Why get Tylor fit and then give him 10 minutes. Sky mentioned a wonderful stat we have the worse record in the Champinship in throwing away a winning postion.
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Keaneish added 08:43 - Nov 2 Walk the Wark - i would never advocate the sacking of MM based on 60 minutes of abysmal football. Tonight was easily the worst performance under MM but the players need to take a lot of responsibility. I do concede that changes need to be made to break up the same side that has played for the last 7 games. I'd even look to the loan market now in truth as i'm not sure we have what we need on the bench.

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karls_dad added 09:02 - Nov 2 I have made this point before but here it is again, throughout my working life i have very often at the end of the day sat in my van and pondered, have i done enough today, did i earn my bowl of rice, just sat and reflected... Now if i was to place the same ethos to our town players, yes a certain different leauge to the average working man, what happens with them at the end of the day? they have let the town down, played poorly, let an easy win slip by through lack of effort, and so forth! Do they when they leave the gound walking across to to their outlandishly expensive supercars, do they care to give a second thought and reflect, sat on the warm leather, heading off to the their rather OTT homes in the country, do they stop for just a fleeting moment and give a thought where there lifestyle has come from, yes its from having an undeniable talent, but do they ever think.... have i done enough? did i earn my bowl of rice today, can i justify my ridiculous wage and lifestyle? I doubt it vey much, to them its just another day, play well or not turn up on the pitch, the end result is the same, they get paid, to us lesser fortunate souls that provide for them, all we ask is for an effort and to be shown they are trying, none of this occured last night, we were served an abysmal display of .... well how to describe it without being unpolite. If i could i would make them stand in the car park tell them all to throw their keys in a box and tell them to get the bus home, as they did not deserve any of the gold and glitter they they recieve as proffessional footballers, they let us all down, every one of them! Or am i just a tad angry? on second thoughts yes i am fr--king angry, what w bunch of wasters, and thats coming from a supporter of over 30 years standing... something needs sorting and fast!

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Jimmy86 added 09:13 - Nov 2 Keanish last night was pretty dire but i dont think it was the worst game ive seen under mccarthy, that would be leicester away last season when we got slapped by 6!!! Still pretty boring tho and could do with an away win!!!
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Kesgraveblue57 added 09:13 - Nov 2 I'll say this again:- In defence we play two of the four out of position, the right hand side of the team is unbalanced, you can do something about that!! the left hand side of the team is good, the other teams in the championship are not fools anyone can see this weakness
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Woodbridgian added 09:22 - Nov 2 What happened at half time simple - Yet another team suss us out change their formation and game plan and we don't respond, 4-4-2 hoof the ball up from the back missing out the midfield thats all MM knows.
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bennyitfc added 09:23 - Nov 2 I just want us to play some bloody football. By the looks of things we will never get that with MM in charge...it's like we are hoping for a lucky flick on from a long ball for McGoldrick to run on to and score. Either that or rely on corners. I would drop Anderson, and get Taylor in on the right for the next game, at least he looked like he was trying when he came on, albeit 30 minutes too late, again. There is some talent in our squad, some attacking talent, but we're just not seeing it - it's as if the players are told not to do anything but defend and soak up pressure once we score, which is all we did in the second half yesterday. I love MM for keeping us up last season, but in a way it could be a blessing in disguise if Ireland come calling and we can bring in an exciting manager to get the best attacking performances which I know the players are capable of somewhere. With the exception of Hyam - sideways pass, backwards pass, second to every loose ball. Get Tunnicliffe in the centre with Skuse, with Wordsworth and Taylor on the respective wings. That could be the formula we need.

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ipswich_4_life added 09:24 - Nov 2 Why did mccarthy take off mcgoldrick when we need to kill off a game. Nouble will be lucky if he scores 5 goals this season. We need to get stearman and go back to the same team we ended with last season.
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mikeybloo88 added 09:58 - Nov 2 Karls_dad, I would think Jim O'Brien walked to their bus feeling like he'd earned his money, wish we had a few like him
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oldegold added 09:59 - Nov 2 Very poor 2nd half. Barnsley ran the show and made us look like real clots. No variety in the tactics, no REAL passion and boring, hoofing the ball up style meaning we easily get outwitted…by teams who haven't got an away point all season…please ! Something has to change and now otherwise, relegation will loom fast. Very, very disappointed we gave the initiative away again after a reasonable 1st half. Really heading nowhere fast…Possibly McCarthey has to make his mind up now, or stay or go.

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rhybeaniho added 10:08 - Nov 2 Hopefully, Mick will be given some cash to sort this out in January... We looked as if we could hardly control the ball in the second half.
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