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).