Barnsley 1 Birmingham City 2: Different Davies does damage as Reds suffer

Reds striker Craig Davies, who hit four in the reverse fixture at St Andrew’s, blazed woefully over from the spot three minutes before his opposition namesake headed home the winner, leaving Hill’s men with one win from 13 games and without a home success since September 1.

Jonathan Greening’s first goal for almost two years brought the Yorkshire side level seven minutes prior to half-time following Blues’ opener, which came against the run of play.

Hill said: “We would have been 2-1 to the advantage but we’ve got to accept that he (Craig Davies) has made the wrong decision.

“He’s scored penalties for us, important goals and today he’s missed a penalty so I accept there’re vulnerabilities to everybody.

“We have to take it don’t we? It’s a measure of the task that we’ve got. We look as though we’re controlling a football match and maybe shoot ourselves in the foot – not once but twice, three times – the penalty as well, that’s football.

“To be perfectly honest, the first goal I think it’s a really good cross in. I think he’s got between players and the goalkeeper.

“I think we’ve got to have a bit more assertiveness so I’m not going to lay blame, but the second goal, players have taken their own responsibility to change markers.”

Robert Hall delivered another excellent set-piece – Birmingham’s main threat throughout – which Davies nodded home unchallenged at the near post

Barnsley applied pressure almost straight from kick-off with Stephen Dawson seeing a strike blocked and, with the visitors struggling to fully clear their lines, the ball broke for Greening, who converted low from distance.

It was a harsh hand-ball decision against Steven Caldwell that led to Craig Davies’s penalty miss. A superb stop from Jack Butland kept out a header from Matty Done before Curtis Davies settled matters via another inch-perfect delivery from Hall.

Barnsley: Steele, Stones, Hassell, McNulty, Golbourne, O’Brien, Greening, Perkins (Done 68), Dawson, Tudgay, Dagnall (Davies 68). Unused substitutes: Alnwick, Wiseman, Harewood, Cywka, Sinclair.

Birmingham: Butland, Robinson, Caldwell, Davies, Hancox, Hall (Gomis 85), Mullins, Reilly, Elliott, Zigic, Redmond (Burke 53). Unused substitutes: Doyle, Ibanez, Morrison, Jervis, Delfouneso.

Referee: C Boyeson (E Yorkshire).