Barnsley 1 Cardiff City 2: Bellamy breaks Barnsley hearts

The 31-year-old, at his hometown club on a season-long loan from Manchester City, fired Cardiff ahead shortly before half-time in his first appearance back from a five-game absence due to knee trouble.

Bellamy's second goal of the season was a rare moment of quality during an uneventful first half, but the game ignited after the break, with Jason Shackell equalising for Barnsley in the 63rd minute, home goalkeeper Luke Steele saving Peter Whittingham's penalty and Seyi Olofinjana firing the visitors' winner.

Cardiff midfielder Darcy Blake was sent off in the 82nd minute for a rash challenge that warranted a second yellow card and visiting goalkeeper Tom Heaton pulled off a fine save to deny Barnsley winger Adam Hammill in the 88th minute, and Dave Jones's side held on.

Tykes boss Mark Robins felt his side could possibly have been worth a point, and pointed to Heaton's save from Hammill as the key moment.

"It was almost a decent performance," he said. "The keeper has made a good save, Adam scored a goal like that in the last game against Derby and I think Cardiff would have been disappointed if that had gone in."

Robins made five changes with on-loan strikers Garry O'Connor and Chris Wood, Jay McEveley, Kieran Trippier and Hugo Colace all returning, while Bellamy and Gabor Gyepes were in for Cardiff.

Barnsley's only efforts on goal in the opening 20 minutes were two 25-yard shots from Diego Arismendi, the second blocked by Mark Hudson. But it was Cardiff who broke the deadlock three minutes before the interval with a rare moment of class.

Whittingham, who expertly controlled a raking cross-field pass, laid off the ball to Bellamy on the edge of the penalty area and the Wales international deftly slipped the ball into the bottom corner beyond Steele.

Barnsley hauled themselves back when Shackell rammed home his second goal of the season after Jim O'Brien's corner fell kindly for him in the area.

Cardiff squandered the chance to regain the lead seconds after the restart as Barnsley captain Stephen Foster handled Whittingham's corner, but the Cardiff midfielder then saw Steele save his subsequent penalty.

But the Welshmen won the game when Whittingham's shot following Bellamy's corner was turned home by Olofinjana.

Barnsley: Steele, Trippier, Foster, Shackell, McEveley, O'Brien, Arismendi (Butterfield 90), Colace, Hammill, Wood (Gray 58), O'Connor. Unused substitutes: Preece, Doyle, Lovre, Morales Neumann, Potter.

Cardiff: Heaton, McNaughton, Hudson, Gyepes, Naylor, Burke, Olofinjana, Blake, Whittingham, Bothroyd, Bellamy. Unused substitutes: Marshall, Quinn, McPhail, Rae, Koumas, Keogh, Wildig.

Referee: Trevor Kettle (Rutland).

Man of the match: Luke Steele.