Barnsley assess options | Millers into drop zone | Bruce hails Tigers in defeat

Lee Johnson’s decision to quit on Saturday to return to former club Bristol City came just 36 or so hours after the Reds had booked a Wembley date in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

Yesterday, Tommy Wright and Paul Heckingbottom helped steer Barnsley to a 3-0 win over Bury – a result that leaves the South Yorkshire club just five points adrift of the play-offs.

Just who takes on that challenge of getting Barnsley into the top six remains to be seen with the board set to assess their options today.

But the new head coach will inherit a squad on the up, even allowing for Johnson’s shock exit for Ashton Gate and a return to a club where he made 199 appearances and his dad, Gary, had a spell as manager.

The 34-year-old was in the directors box at Charlton Athletic on Saturday as his new charges claimed a 1-0 victory that, together with Rotherham United’s 2-1 loss at Bolton Wanderers, was enough to dump Neil Redfearn’s Millers back into the bottom three.

A stoppage time strike by Kaiyne Woolery condemned United to defeat and left Redfearn bitterly frustrated.

“It is cruel because the worst case scenario was coming away with a point thinking we should have won,” said the Millers chief.

“So, to come away with nothing on the back of that performance is really galling. We had enough chances to win three games, to be honest.

“From day one we were in a mess, we were in a bad situation. But we have got gradually better performances and we have picked some good results up. We are still in there.”

Redfearn was far from the only frustrated figure among Yorkshire’s contingent of Championship managers.

Steve Bruce and Steve Evans both watched their respective sides lose 1-0, while David Wagner’s Huddersfield Town lost 2-1 despite taking the lead with just 10 minutes remaining through Nahki Wells.

Only Carlos Carvalhal of the county’s bosses had a good day, a double from Gary Hooper clinching a 2-1 win at Birmingham City for Sheffield Wednesday.

That win means the Owls are back up to sixth and just half a dozen points behind leaders Hull, who lost 1-0 at promotion rivals Burnley. Middlesbrough stayed second on goal difference after being held at home by Blackburn Rovers.

“There are going to be many more twists and turns before the season is out,” said Bruce, who was without Harry Maguire at Turf Moor due to a back injury.

“It was a big chance for us (to open up a lead at the top) and I felt if any team was going to go and win it, then it would be us.

“I thought we were excellent, the second half in particular. We had enough opportunities but obviously didn’t take one. We then made the big mistake in the match, which unfortunately has cost us.”

Allan McGregor’s fumbled save allowed Sam Vokes to net what proved to be the winner and Bruce added: “I am sure Allan being Allan will say he should have gathered it.

“But, look, our goalkeeper has been excellent all season and so has Abel (Hernandez), who had two big chances. On another day they might have been the heroes again.”

At Elland Road, meanwhile, Leeds’s recruitment during January came in for renewed criticism from supporters following a 1-0 home loss to Nottingham Forest.

Just one permanent signing was made during the window, Toumani Diagouraga, along with loanees Mustapha Carayol and Liam Bridcutt as Sam Byram left for West Ham in a £3.7m deal.

Unsuccessful attempts to sign Kyle Lafferty, Sam Winnall and Kike were all made during the opening month of the year but Evans insists the lack of new faces was not due to the want of trying.

He added: “People think we woke up on deadline day and wanted to sign a player but these were things we had been working on for two or three weeks.

“Up until the last couple of days, it looked like we would do one or two (deals). Primarily, it never happened because of financial (reasons). I don’t make those decisions but when the decision is made that it is too much money, I have to respect that.

“I am not a manager who at Rotherham spent too much money and I won’t do that here. I walked away from one of the deals because it was a certain amount of money and it would have been out of synch to do it.”