Conor Chaplin and skipper Sam Morsy were on target but Town were held to a 2-2 draw by Barnsley at Portman Road with a third Blues goal scored by sub Marcus Harness appearing to have been harshly disallowed. Chaplin curled home a brilliant free-kick on 27 but Jack Aitchison levelled for the Tykes six minutes later before Leif Davis had what looked a decent penalty shout turned down just before the break. Morsy restored the Blues’ lead on 70 but, after Harness’s goal had been ruled out, Callum Styles grabbed a point for the visitors on 75 with the Blues, who drop to second, going close on a number of occasions late on with George Edmundson hitting the post.
Wes Burns, Edmundson and Freddie Ladapo returned to the Blues’ starting line-up with the Welshman at right wing-back following his groin injury with Kane Vincent-Young dropping to the bench.
Edmundson returned on the left of the central defensive three with Cameron Burgess among the subs.
Ladapo started as the number nine with Tyreece John-Jules dropping behind him alongside Chaplin with Marcus Harness on the bench.
Summer signing Dominic Ball was in the matchday 18 for the first time following his ankle injury.
For Barnsley, Jordan Helliwell replaced Robbie Cundy and started at right wing-back with Jordan Williams switching to the right side of their back three.
Former Town loanee Luke Thomas was in the XI, while ex-Blues striker James Norwood was on the bench.
Ahead of kick-off, Barnsley took a knee but Town remained standing as has been the case in recent games.
Luca Connell sliced the game’s first shot well wide from 25 yards in the second minute, then Thomas brought the ball in from the left before hitting a deflected effort which Blues keeper Christian Walton claimed confidently.
Town soon began to get their passing going and in the fourth minute, following a long spell of possession, threaded a pass into the area for Chaplin, but the forward’s first touch let him down and Tykes’ keeper Brad Collins was able to slide in and grab ahead of him.
On nine, Janoi Donacien was played in down the right by Evans, following a long kick by Walton which reached Burns, and the centre-half sent over a cross which was cleared.
The loose ball reached Luke Woolfenden, who brought it forward and crossed towards the far post where John-Jules nodded back towards Ladapo, who collided with keeper Collins as he looked to hook home.
Referee Stephen Martin gave a foul and Collins and Helliwell both underwent treatment for knocks received during the attack.
Applause rang around the ground from both sets of fans and also some of the players as the clock hit the 10-minute mark, in memory of Lilly Ann Allen, a baby girl who passed away earlier this month aged only 10 weeks.
In the 16th minute Helliwell was forced off by his earlier injury and was replaced by Clarke Oduor.
Those stoppages and a couple of subsequent free-kicks led to Town losing their momentum somewhat as the match reached the 20-minute mark. There was an anxious moment for Blues supporters when Walton just about chopped his way past two Barnsley attackers in his area before giving the ball away on the right but Burns forced it out of play.
In the 27th minute Burns made a strong run in from the right before being felled five yards outside the area by Connell. And from the resultant free-kick, the Blues went in front.
Burns and Chaplin stood over the ball but it was the former Barnsley man who took the kick and curled a brilliant shot around the wall and into the corner of the net to Collins’s right before celebrating by the tunnel. It was Chaplin’s third goal of the season, and second in two games, and the best of the trio.
But Town’s lead only lasted six minutes. On 33, Barnsley were awarded a free-kick for handball against Evans, somewhat harshly. The set piece was smashed into the wall, but in the aftermath the ball was played out to the right, Connell crossed and Aitchison stooped to nod across Walton and into the corner of the net.
The Town support made their frustration with the referee’s decision to give Barnsley a free-kick known as the Blues started the business of looking to restore their lead.
On 41 Chaplin hit an audacious effort over from the right corner of the penalty area, then Barnsley were forced into their second change of the game, midfielder Josh Benson having picked up an injury which had required earlier treatment. Matty Wolfe took over.
The Tykes, defending in numbers, were frustrating the Blues, who began to take complete control as the game moved into injury time with the visitors unable to get out of their half.
Town felt they should have been awarded a penalty when Davis was brought down by Thomas having tricked his way past the winger. Certainly there looked to be no contact made with the ball and Davis appeared hurt by the challenge before being able to continue.
Just before the whistle, the former Leeds man burst away on the left before hitting a low shot across the face, which Collins palmed wide.
Referee Martin was booed off as he made his way towards the tunnel, more for the free-kick which led to the Barnsley goal than the lack of a penalty decision.
The Blues had started well but the game had gone through a frustrating stop-start spell before Chaplin’s excellent free-kick had given them the lead.
Town will be frustrated to have conceded so soon afterwards with the Barnsley free-kick questionable.
In the latter stages of the half, the Blues started to get more firmly in control and make inroads into the massed ranks of the Tykes’ defence.
Town started the second half as they had ended the first and on 47 Burns beat Styles on the right before cutting back towards Chaplin on the edge of the area but the ball was cut out.
However, Blues keeper Walton was forced into a save in the 49th minute from a Barnsley break, Williams played in Styles, who had got away from Burns, but Walton was equal to the Hungarian international’s shot and the loose ball was cleared.
Town came very close to getting back in front in the 53rd minute when Evans curled a cross into the box from the corner of the penalty area on the right. Burns appeared to get his head to it and it landed at Ladapo’s feet but the former Rotherham man wasn’t able to add a final touch.
Connell spent a lengthy spell being treated for a knock as the hour mark approached, much to the frustration of the home fans, accustomed to the second halves of matches being broken up by apparent injuries to opposition players over the last couple of seasons.
On 59 Styles was shown the game’s first yellow card for blocking off Burns midway inside the Blues’ half as the wing-back was chasing a Town ball down the right.
The game had returned to the more scrappy middle period of the first half with the Blues unable to find a way through the Tykes’ backline and becoming scruffier at the back.
In the 65th minute, as they prepared to take a corner, Barnsley brought on Norwood for goalscorer Aitchison and Slobodan Tedic for Devante Cole. From the corner, visitors skipper Mads Andersen bundled the ball wide at the near post.
There was another scare for the Blues a minute later when sub Oduor was played in on goal on the right of the box but Davis did just about enough to put him off and force him to shoot into the side-netting.
Town, who needed something to restore their impetus, made a double change on 67, Harness, Vincent-Young and Kayden Jackson, another ex-Barnsley forward, replacing John-Jules, Aluko and Davis, who had undergone treatment earlier in the half, presumably for the knock sustained in the penalty incident.
The changes appeared to have an immediate effect with the Blues taking the lead for the second time only three minutes later.
Burns cut in from the right at pace with Donacien overlapping outside him and cut across to Morsy, a one-time Barnsley loanee, who stuck out a toe to just about force it inside the post before celebrating his second goal of the season in front of the fans behind the goal.
Town thought they’d made it 3-1 two minutes later when Harness brushed off Liam Kitching and appeared to be fouled himself as he stabbed past Collins but referee Martin once again made a decision against the Blues, disallowing it for what he presumably deemed was a foul by the former Portsmouth man. The Town fans made their thoughts regarding the referee’s performance very evident.
The Blues were to rue that decision in the 75th minute when the South Yorkshiremen equalised for a second time. Connell sent over a corner from the left and Styles was left completely unmarked to nod a header past Walton to his left.
Norwood hit a low effort through to Walton from the edge of the area as the game became more end to end for a spell.
As the match moved into its final 10 minutes, Burns cut in from the right and struck a powerful shot from a tight angle which Collins tipped over. From the corner, Edmundson’s header was too high.
Sone Aluko replaced Chaplin in the 86th minute, then two minutes later Norwood was booked for a foul on Vincent-Young not far outside the area on the left.
However, the free-kick came to nothing but the Blues kept the ball in the final third as they kept looking for the winner.
As the match moved into eight minutes of injury time Andersen was booked for kicking the ball away as Town looked to take a free-kick.
The Blues were inches away from their third goal soon afterwards when Edmundson nodded an Evans corner from the right against the post, the loose ball failing to fall to a home player.
Town thought they’d won it deep in injury time when Evans curled over a cross from the right and Vincent-Young headed powerfully goalwards only for Collins to pull off a remarkable stop to keep it out.
The Barnsley goal was under siege in the final minutes, Aluko seeing a volley from a corner blocked in the final seconds before referee Martin ended a frustrating afternoon for the Blues.
Town fans, who again made their annoyance with referee Martin known at the whistle, will want to see the first-half penalty incident and the disallowed goal again, with the Blues appearing hard done by with both decisions. The experienced official came close to losing control at times in the second half.
However, manager Kieran McKenna will be frustrated at the manner in which both goals were conceded, the second a free header from a corner.
Town had chances to win it in the latter stages but just couldn’t find the winning goal with Collins making a vital stop from Vincent-Young when the former Colchester man seemed certain to score late on.
The draw sees the Blues drop to second in the table behind Portsmouth on goals scored with Northampton at Portman Road for Town’s first Papa John’s Trophy tie of the season on Tuesday.
Town: Walton, Donacien, Woolfenden, Edmundson, Burns, Evans, Morsy (c), Davis (Vincent-Young 67), Chaplin (Aluko 86), John-Jules (Harness 67), Ladapo (Jackson 67). Unused: Hladky, Burgess, Ball.
Barnsley: Collins, Williams, Styles, Kitching, Andersen (c), Benson (Wolfe 41), Thomas, Helliwell (Oduor 16), Aitchison (Norwood 65), Cole (Tedic 65), Connell. Unused: Walton, McCarthy, Cundy. Referee: Stephen Martin (Staffordshire). Att: 25,001 (Barnsley: 613).