Barnsley FC bully meek Derby County into submission to make statement of intent in League One play-off race

Devante Cole scored twice and Adam Phillips lashed home from the edge of the area to cap a flowing move as Michael Duff’s Reds gave Paul Warne’s Derby a bloody nose in a 4-1 win.

They also leapfrogged the Rams into fifth place in the process, banishing the ghosts of the lame FA Cup exit at the hands of Derby seven weeks ago.

Since then Barnsley have won five of their seven League One games, including a run of six games without defeat.

But all those wins in that race up the League One table came against teams in the bottom half.

This, and the physical and composed manner of the performance, was their biggest win of 2023 and one that shows they can mix it with the division’s fancied teams.

if there was an element of fortune about Barnsley’s opening goal it was a bi-product of their high press.

Cole charged down Craig Forsyth’s 21st-minute clearance, the ball broke to Phillips who poked the ball goalwards under pressure from a defender and Cole continued the ball’s progress over the line.

The goal was given initially, then ruled out by a linesman’s flag, only for the referee to run over and award the goal after consultation with his assistant. Replays later showed Forsyth had been playing Cole on.

Derby hadn’t learned their lessons, though, as within seconds of the opening goal, Cole charged down another clearance to create a second chance, this one former Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith was equal to.

In a madcap few minutes, Tom Barkhuizen headed against the bar for Derby and David McGoldrick had a free-kick well saved by Harry Isted.

Barnsley doubled the lead on 33 minutes from an incisive move.

Herbie Kane, who was a constant menace in the hole behind Cole and Norwood, floated a ball over the top to Norwood, who cut the ball back to Jordan Williams. He drove across the edge of the penalty area and teed up Phillips whose first-time shot beat Wildsmith into the bottom corner.

Typical of what had become a wild game, Derby replied instantly. Conor Hourihane, who made his name in the Barnsley midfield from 2014 to 2017, played a ball in between Mads Andersen and Liam Kitching for McGoldrick who sumptuously dinked the ball over Isted for his 18th goal of the season.

A decisive third for Barnsley arrived in first-half stoppage time and summed up their physical superiority. Cole ran from his own half at the heart of the defence, shrugging off Derby players as he went. He found Kane, who played the ball to Norwood, and when the ball moved towards goal, Cole had continued his run unchecked to volley home from eight yards.

Barnsley were rarely stretched in the defence of their lead in the second half, and even when they were, Isted was equal to it, denying Lewis Dobbin at point-blank range leading to pats on the head from his appreciative defenders.

They were even gifted a fourth deep into stoppage time when a lazy ball across the edge of the area was pounced on by substitute Luke Thomas who steered the ball home with a first-time shot.