Lessons to be learned: Barnsley shining beacon as Bantams, Blades, Doncaster and Boro catch icy blast

Never mind the rain, sleet and snow, Tuesday night was a footballing washout, unless you are of a Barnsley persuasion, with the Reds’ remarkable rise turning into one of the endearing stories of the campaign.

Elsewhere, no Yorkshire candidates showcased their credentials, with Bradford City, Sheffield United, Doncaster Rovers, Middlesbrough and York City all enduring bitter evenings.

A few things garnered from the midweek action:

Barnsley are on the crest of a wave - and have a potential trump card in Harry Chapman.

Anyone wondering if the Reds could walk the walk against a bonafide top-six rival were answered in the affirmative at Oakwell. Coventry were pretty much second best all evening, with the hosts’ attacking play accomplished and incessant at times. Another clean sheet on home soil too en route to a sixth successive league win on home soil - last done at the back end of 1994.

These are good times to be a Reds fan, with the continuity provided by Paul Heckingbottom - whose designs on the full-time top job have never looked stronger - reaping its rewards.

Barnsley look confident, together and focused, with the second-half performance on his home bow from Boro loanee Harry Chapman providing the icing on Tuesday night with his display at times exhilarating and mitigating for Adam Hammill’s absence.

Only worry is Sam Winnall, who came off at the interval with a twisted ankle.

Sheffield United’s toils show no signs of abating.

If Nigel Clough afforded himself a glass of red at his Derbyshire home in the wee hours of the morning, you can bet it was up there with the best wines he has ever tasted after he enjoyed a winning return back at Bramall Lane following his sacking last May.

It leaves the Blades and Nigel Adkins with more questions and recriminations, with their fifth season in the third tier proving comfortably their most ignominious. Inconsistent playing performances, not enough players stepping up to the plate with the requisite character and quality to represent the biggest club in the division; the list goes on.

Burton merited victory at S2, with their team cohesion and game management something that the Blades palpably lack.

The good news for the Blades is that - as they were at the start of play - they remain just four points off the play-off spots. But unless they shape up fast, it is a forlorn hope.

Credit to home fans for giving Clough a warm welcome on his Lane return, by the way – the classiest home performance on the night.

Bradford City - what a golden chance missed.

The cards could not have fallen better for City elsewhere with Coventry beaten at Barnsley and Southend also not winning. But, unfortunately, Bradford could not keep their side of the bargain and suffered a hugely disappointing home loss to Colchester on a night when victory would have taken them into the play-off zone for the first time since the back end of November.

Typical City, some of the more cynical of a claret and amber persuasion would venture. But in a seasonal context, the loss made a mockery of their impressive form against sides in the bottom half of League One and was a massive surprise. That said, City’s form versus teams propping up divisions in previous seasons had been lamentable. Sometimes old habits die hard.

It was a game in which the hosts lost their way and could have no excuses.

As starts to March go, this was tepid. Mistakes happen and the good teams learn from them as Bradford must - and fast.

A half step forward, but two back for demoralised Doncaster Rovers.

After the first brick in the wall to recovery in a weekend draw against Millwall, it was back to square one for Darren Ferguson’s Doncaster in another dispiriting development, at Swindon.

Freefalling Rovers’ winless streak in League One is up to eight matches - a run ‘bordering on the embarrassing’ according to Ferguson - and a drama has become a crisis.

Make no mistake, they are in a relegation battle and are just one point above the drop zone, having taken a pathetic three points from the last 24.

It is a time for character, taking responsibility and showing leadership and fight, starting with a huge showdown with fellow strugglers Shrewsbury at the weekend.

On a night when they could have moved two points clear at the summit, Boro blew it.

Middlesbrough’s memories of Blackburn are not particularly pleasant ones and the near 4,000 strong Teesside contingent who headed over the Pennines last night had another unwholesome entry to the list last night.

Opportunity knocked for Boro, who had seemingly rediscovered their mojo with wins over Fulham and Cardiff.

But against a pumped-up and persistent Rovers side, who were determined to fire a shot across the bows of returning striker Jordan Rhodes,

Boro showed a lack of guts and hunger and urgency, which is pretty unforgivable for a side who could have gone two points clear at the top.

At the start of the run home, it was a meek development. Sides wanting to go up have to marry ability with bottle and Boro lacked it at Ewood, with Aitor Karanka left to bemoan his players’ mentality and inability to cope with pressure.

Still, the result was greeted with pleasure in one part of Yorkshire - the East Riding, with the home win good news for Hull.