Barnsley 3 Walsall 0: Waring double strike as Barnsley go nap

George Waring scored twice to continue his rich vein of form since joining on loan from Stoke and Sam Winnall added a third.

New manager Lee Johnson saw his side go level on 50 points with Doncaster and said: “I was delighted with the win, it was a really good three points for us given the fact that it was our third game in a week.

“Where we won the game today was the substitutions and the energy they gave us. It is nice to see Sam back and Jabo comes on and gives a bit, too. We got the goals at the right time as well which was very important.”

Waring scored his third and fourth goals in just three games as his team secured a fifth straight win – all completed without conceding a goal.

Waring’s 16th-minute goal was all that separated Barnsley and Walsall at half-time, but the hosts had dominated.

Waring doubled the Reds’ tally in tremendous style in the 71st minute.

After being neatly teed up by the impressive John O’Sullivan, he went past a couple of weak challenges before slotting past Richard O’Donnell from a tight angle.

O’Sullivan blasted a fine strike just over and both he and Conor Hourihane forced O’Donnell into saves before substitute Winnall did make it 3-0 in the 90th minute when he side-footed home O’Sullivan’s cross from eight yards.

Barnsley: Davies, Holgate, Cranie, Nyatanga, Smith, Pearson (Bailey 57), O’Sullivan, Scowen, Hourihane, Lalkovic (Winnall 63), Waring (Ibehre 79). Unused substitutes: Berry, Jennings, Mvoto, Dibble.

Walsall: O’Donnell, James Chambers, Purkiss (O’Connor 46), Downing, Taylor, Adam Chambers, Sawyers, Flanagan (Cain 69), Baxendale (Grimes 46), Bradshaw, Hiwula. Unused substitutes: Mantom, MacGillivray, Preston, Bakayoko.

Referee: S Attwell (Warwickshire).

Man of the match: George Waring.