Barnsley 0 Bristol Rovers 0 (3-4 on penalties): Reds left to rue wastefulness as they are dumped out of FA Cup

The Reds dominated for large spells and registered a staggering 30 shots, but were toothless when it came to finishing chances in the final third.

After 120 goalless minutes, penalties were used to decide the game and Bristol Rovers held their nerve, advancing to the third round as 4-3 shootout winners.

Bristol Rovers had the most zip early on, going close on two occasions while Barnsley looked to settle.

Gatlin O’Donkor struck the post after shrugging off Marc Roberts before Shaq Forde stung the palm of Ben Killip with a left-footed drive from outside the box.

Rhythm proved hard to find for the Reds, who were prone to punting aimlessly and picking the wrong option in the opening 10 minutes.

The Reds did eventually settle and flickers of attacking vibrancy from their opponents became increasingly rare.

Stephen Humphrys opened space for himself with deft footwork and drilled towards goal, only to see the ball find the grateful clutches of Josh Griffiths.

Kelechi Nwakali was the next to let fly, unleashing a shot from distance that had Griffiths scrambling to push behind.

Humphrys found himself in a promising position again after a neat exchange with Luca Connell, but a firm tackle heard across the ground denied him a chance to test Griffiths.

The loose ball fell to Davis Keillor-Dunn, who failed to generate power behind his shot and could only watch as it trickled harmlessly wide.

Humphrys’ footwork proved difficult for the Gas to handle and he had fans purring with a dazzling run that took a number of opponents out of the game. He fed Nwakali, who teed up Adam Phillips for a shot that found the wrong side of the post.

With pressure on the visitors mounting, Georgie Gent was found at the back post and only had Griffiths to beat, but blasted into the side-netting.

Barnsley’s confidence continued to grow and Bristol Rovers were lucky to see a Humphrys effort rattle the post with Griffiths stranded.

Bristol Rovers remained firmly under the cosh as the half-time whistle approached and appeared relieved to heading to the tunnel level.

The Reds immediately returned to the front foot following the restart, coming within a whisker of breaking the deadlock barely a minute in.

Phillips connected with a Gent cross and directed his header on target, but saw it hammer the crossbar.

Humphrys’ desire to work Griffiths remained on display and he stung the goalkeeper’s palms with an audacious effort from around 30 yards out.

The Barnsley frontman then went agonisingly close, capitalising on a defensive mix-up but being denied by Griffiths in a one-on-one situation.

Penetrating the Bristol Rovers defence was not a problem for Barnsley, but taking the opportunities they were creating proved to be considerably more difficult.

Neither side appeared keen on the idea of extra-time and Barnsley’s wastefulness started to invite pressure from the visitors.

Ben Killip had to be alert to race off his line quickly when Ruel Sotiriou was released in behind, blasting the ball to safety ahead of the Gas substitute.

At the other end, Kyran Lofthouse galloped down the right at speed before squaring for Fabio Jalo, who struck on the swivel and drew a save from Griffiths.

Humphrys, meanwhile, saw his frustrations continue when Griffiths palmed his low drive wide at full stretch.

It appeared as if it could not get any more exasperating for the Reds, but Bristol Rovers managed to hook a Humprhys effort off the line with just minutes of normal time remaining.

Jalo then sent a cross fizzing across the face of goal, but the box was devoid of Reds attackers.

The deadlock remained unbroken at the end of 90 minutes, placing the sides in an extra-time battle neither will have wanted in the midst of hectic schedules.

Lofthouse created the first chance of extra-time, flying into a tackle and picking up the resulting loose ball to send Sam Cosgrove in behind.

The substitute took the shot on first time, skewing the effort and rolling it into the arms of Griffiths.

Barnsley’s dominance continued and Earl was the next to knock on the door, seeing his curling effort beaten away by Griffiths.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the game’s spark dimmed as extra-time progressed. Tiring legs and minds led to a plethora of stray passes and a disruption of the rhythm previously enjoyed by the Reds.

After a lull in proceedings, Barry Cotter darted down the right and looped a cross on to the head of Cosgrove, who nodded on to the roof of the net.

Jalo had livened up the Reds frontline following his introduction from the bench and whipped a teasing cross in for Phillips, who could only produce a tame header that was easily held.

Chances remained at a premium for Bristol Rovers, although James Wilson was not too far away with a speculative overhead kick in the dying embers.

With one minute of extra-time remaining, Cosgrove got on the end of a Jon Russell cross but powered his effort into the hands of Griffiths.

Penalties were then used to separate the sides, with Bristol Rovers emerging as 4-3 winners. Phillips hit the post with the first spot-kick, while Earl was denied with the last one of the shootout.