Town boss Mick McCarthy felt his side deserved their 2-2 draw at Barnsley and believed they could even have taken all three points. Christophe Berra and David McGoldrick netted in the 81st and 84th minutes as the Blues came from 2-0 behind at Oakwell.
"It looked like being the most one-sided 2-0 defeat there’s ever been with nine minutes to go,” McCarthy said. "We played well in the second half and had enough chances to win it.
"We were profligate and we let them off the hook because we had the ball at the edge of their box, were playing well, we lose it and it ends up as a freekick and then in our net. It came off David McGoldrick. But we deserved it, by a good stretch we deserved it.”
He admitted that it seemed like it was going to be one of those days: "There’s always that thought, but we were on the sidelines shouting that it shouldn’t be one of those days, they should get their heads up, keep running and keep doing it because we were playing well enough.
"There were one or two [whose heads were dropping] and you can do, I’ve been there as a player, that resignation when you’ve played well [and are losing], but they kept going, we rallied them on and they got what they deserved. In fact, I don’t think what they deserved, I think they should have won.”
The Blues boss was again impressed with Stephen Hunt’s display: "We wound the elastic band up again. He was excellent, I thought. He played better when we went to 4-4-2 and he was better in his natural position.”
And 16-goal top scorer David McGoldrick was also praised by his boss: "He’s having a really good season, it was a great piece of business when we got him on a free transfer last year. It looked like it was a good piece of business, it’s turned out to be a great piece of business.”
McCarthy has also been pleased with today’s other goalscorer’s form: "Christophe Berra’s been another good signing. I think the centre-backs had it tough against Nick Proschwitz and Chris O’Grady, they’re a handful those two.”
As for the absent Paul Taylor, who was spotted getting on a train prior to the game, the Blues boss explained: "He’s got toothache, he’s got an abscess under his tooth, his head was bouncing.
"There was no chance he was going to play. He took antibiotics to settle it down, which it did a bit, but as soon as you start moving and the blood starts rushing round, it wouldn’t be any good to any of us. We sent him home, he needs to get that sorted out.”
Overall, McCarthy was pleased to see his side move to three points from the play-off zone but says that’s of little consequence at this stage: "I think we’ve closed the gap, but it doesn’t matter. We’ve got 16 games to play.
"It’s a bloody good point from 2-0 down with almost 15 minutes to play. I thought if we got one back we might win it.”
He was reminded that Town have the best record in the division for winning points from losing situations.
"And we’re the worst team in the league at going in front and giving it away!” he pointed out. "You tell me how we should sort that one out. But it’s still a nice quality to have.”
McCarthy says he enjoys returning to his hometown club, where he started his career, even if he is never given an easy afternoon: "I love coming back, but I usually get my arse slapped when I come back and almost did again.
"You heard them singing ‘Mick McCarthy’s a Red’, I am and I always will be but they don’t give me anything when I come back and I don’t give them anything lightly and I think that’s the way it should be. They wouldn’t have liked me as much as they did when I was a player if I gave things away.”
Tykes boss Danny Wilson admitted that the Blues were well on top after the break: "I'm frustrated rather than disappointed. Being quite honest, I think in the second half we had our backs to the wall for long periods.
"The wind took its toll, just like it helped us in the first half. We knew we were going to be on the back foot, particularly with the strike force that they’ve got.
"But I thought the two goals were the disappointing part, if anything. The performance wasn’t disappointing.”