Catastrophic defending led to the Blues falling to a 4-1 defeat away at Barnsley. The Blues started brightly and went in front through Pablo Couñago, but a series of errors at the back gifted the home side a comfortable victory and Brian Howard a hat-trick.

Boss Jim Magilton made three changes from the side which drew 1-1 with Sheffield United a week ago. Jon Walters, Danny Haynes and Dan Harding dropped out and Owen Garvan, Alan Quinn and Alex Bruce returned to the line-up. Garvan joined Velice Sumulikoski in central midfield with David Norris moving to the right, while David Wright switched to left-back with Alex Bruce coming in on the right.

In windy and soggy conditions the Blues started the strongly with Couñago crossing for Norris, whose shot was blocked.

There was a scare on eight when Richard Naylor slipped and allowed the ball to run through to Kayode Adejayi but Barnsley's weekend FA Cup hero shot wide.

Alan Quinn curled a freekick just wide on 13, then three minutes later shot wide from the edge of the area. Town had started well and, defensive slips aside, were looking the more dangerous side, even if they weren't playing too much fluent football in poor conditions.

Adejayi went close again on 17, turning Naylor inside the area, but sending the ball over the bar when he really should have scored

Town went in front two minutes later. Alan Quinn sent Velice Sumulikoski down the right, the Macedonian cut into the area and hit a shot which keeper Luke Steele could only palm into the path of Pablo Couñago, who bundled the ball into the net.

At that stage of the game, the Blues looked good for their third away win of the season. On 25 Couñago played a ball into Sumulikoski's feet inside the area, the Macedonian cleverly finding himself space, but scraping his shot wide.

Two minutes later, the home side were back on terms. The ball was stabbed through behind the Town defence into the penalty area and appeared to be on its way out for a goalkick. The Blues defenders left it, Stephen Bywater tried to see it out of play, but Brian Howard beat him to it and hit the ball across the Town keeper and into the net from an acute angle. It was a very poor goal to concede at a time when the Blues were in the ascendency.

Just before the half hour, Diego Leon shot straight at Bywater, then Bobby Hassell picked up the game's first yellow card for a foul on David Norris.

As rain started to teem down, Alan Quinn sent the ball across the Barnsley six-yard box, but no one was on hand to add the final touch.

By half-time the rain had turned to hail with the Town support claiming that there was "More noise from the weather” than the home supporters.

Town probably deserved to be ahead at the break, but Barnsley had been given their chances, mainly from defensive errors by the Blues, something we were to see much more of after the break.

Two minutes into the second period, Pablo Couñago headed an Alan Quinn freekick well over, a chance the Spaniard ought to have taken.

On 50 the home side got their noses in front. A corner came in from the right and was held up by the wind. Several Town defenders and Stephen Bywater all went for the same ball and former Blues loanee Jon Macken nodded home.

Lee hit a decent 25-yard strike which Luke Steele pushed around the post, prior to the Town striker feeling he was shoved over inside the area. Referee Darren Drysdale gave a freekick outside the box.

Steele did well to save Lee's strike from a tight angle on the right, then made another save from Couñago after the Spaniard took the ball into the area on the left.

Bywater was lucky to escape after his clearance struck Jamal Campbell-Ryce, David Wright eventually clearing the danger.

Quinn hit another strike which was deflected wide and from the resultant corner the ball was cleared out to Sumulikoski, who shot over.

David Norris claimed a penalty for handball, then Couñago hit a shot on the turn which struck the crossbar.

Owen Garvan headed wide, prior to Bywater and Naylor both failing to clear a low cross, the ball striking the defender, then Macken, before luckily looping up into the keeper's arms.

Couñago claimed a penalty on 81 but referee Drysdale wasn't interested and play quickly moved to the other end where Campbell-Ryce tried to take the ball past Sumulikoski but lost control and threw himself to the ground. No Barnsley player appealed, but referee Drysdale pointed straight at the spot. Town's evening of woe continued as Howard beat Bywater.

Jordan Rhodes, a Barnsley supporter and former academy schoolboy at Oakwell, replaced Velice Sumulikoski and Dan Harding took over from Alex Bruce for the final eight minutes.

The Blues by now were back to looking like the side which went on such a poor away run earlier in the season and more goals looked on the cards.

One duly came when Bywater, who was getting abuse from sections of the Town support throughout the second half, again failed to deal with a wind-affected corner, Howard's set-piece curling straight into the net. Liam Trotter came on for Alan Quinn but the Blues' task was by now hopeless.

Alan Lee's 90th minute shot was the game's final chance, but the ball flew wide of the post.

The 4-1 result flattered the home side on the balance of play, but Town had only themselves to blame, putting in their worst defensive performance of the season and failing to take their chances at the other end of the field.

Stephen Bywater in particular never got to grips with the conditions, but there was hesitancy from the Blues backline throughout, from Odejayi's early chances through to the late collapse when Town were back to the dismal away side from prior to the transfer window.

Town: Bywater, Bruce (Harding 84), Wright, De Vos, Naylor, Garvan, Sumulikoski (Rhodes 84), Norris, Quinn (Trotter 86), Lee, Couñago. Unused: Colgan, Miller.

Photo: Action Images

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