Barnsley 1 Southampton 5: Saints opt to field stand-ins but crush Barnsley

But Saints nonetheless cruised into the third round of the Capital One Cup despite Pochettino making nine changes to the side that drew with Sunderland on Saturday, leaving out his big-name buys Dani Osvaldo, Victor Wanyama and Dejan Lovren.

Instead, there were chances for fringe players such as Lloyd Isgrove and Emmanuel Mayuka, and they made the most of their opportunities in a comfortable victory over the Championship’s bottom club.

Midfielder Isgrove, making his first start and only his second appearance for Southampton – with his debut in this competition last October – set up the opener in the 26th minute for Steven Davis.

Four minutes after the break Jay Rodriguez, who had a two-month loan spell with the Tykes in early 2010, doubled the visitors’ advantage with a stunning 18-yard curled effort beyond debutant Mike Pollitt.

Veteran Pollitt was only recruited hours ahead of the game, with boss David Flitcroft signing the 41-year-old on a month’s loan from Wigan.

Pollitt, associated with 15 clubs during a career stretching back to 1990 when he started out as a trainee with Manchester United, was thrown in at the deep end, replacing Luke Steele.

Steele had shipped 12 goals in his opening four league games this season, including a handful on Saturday in a 5-2 thrashing at Blackburn.

For Pollitt, it was his first match since January when he played the first half of Wigan’s 1-0 FA Cup third-round replay victory at Bournemouth, and only his third outing in two and a half years.

Barnsley gave themselves a lifeline in the 54th minute via captain Stephen Dawson’s thumping 22-yard effort for his first goal since December.

But all hope of a comeback were ended in the 66th minute when Zambia international Mayuka netted his first for the Saints following his move from Swiss club Young Boys last summer.

Mayuka was then fouled in the final stages by Jimmy McNulty for Davis to add a fourth from the spot, before Gaston Ramirez slotted home the fifth from close range in stoppage time.

Barnsley: Pollitt, Wiseman, McNulty, Kennedy (Dagnall 55), O’Brien, Mellis, Dawson, Etuhu (Cywka 66), Golbourne, O’Grady, Pedersen (Scotland 55). Unused substitutes: Steele, Jennings, Noble-Lazarus, McCourt.

Southampton: Kelvin Davis, Clyne, Yoshida, Fonte, Fox, Ramirez, Steven Davis, Cork, Isgrove (Rowe 72), Rodriguez (Reed 81), Mayuka (Sinclair 90). Unused substitutes: Ward-Prowse, Chambers, Gazzaniga, Stevens.