Lessons to be learned for Leeds, Barnsley, Bradford, Doncaster and Blades

Neither will the 1,600 Leeds United followers, who headed to Griffin Park to see their side’s fixture at Brentford, and were rewarded in the shape of a hard-earned point in a 1-1 draw.

But it was Barnsley who provided the story of the night as they continued their rehabilitation with a sweet derby win over Bradford City to secure their fifth straight victory - with the Bantams taking scant consolation for an improved home performance which yielded nothing in the final analysis.

For Doncaster Rovers, it was another tale of disappointment as they failed to heed the weekend words of Darren Ferguson en route to a 2-1 home loss to Port Vale, while Sheffield United had to settle for a point amid a gale at Blackpool.

Here’s four midweek observations:

1: Leeds are not a million miles from Brentford, but the Bees look weaker than last year.

What the game revealed most of all is that Steve Evans’s team is no real distance from Brentford in terms of quality. However, the problem is that the Bees are clearly no longer the side that made their way into the play-offs last season. They lacked potency up front and would have felt angered at their ability to grab a second that would have undoubtedly killed off the tie. Still, Leeds managed to earn a second draw against the London side this campaign, a step up from their two defeats in the 2014/15 season.

2: Barnsley are stepping up to the plate at both ends of the pitch, while Bradford need to find a ruthless edge.

Confidence is oozing through the veins of Barnsley players, with their character and confidence such that they survived the early loss to injury of Alfie Mawson and the absence of key attacking talisman Adam Hammill - who could be out for a month - to secure a gutsy victory at Valley Parade. Securing that kind of win in the dark days of mid to late autumn and early winter would have been out of the equation and shows the extent of the Reds renaissance more than anything.

For Bradford, finding a predatory edge remains a bugbear, with Phil Parkinson’s utterances about his side needing to show more desire in front of goal being bang on the money. At a time in the season when the margins of success in many games are tight - often down to a single goal - City need to find their goalscoring mojo fast. Wingers Mark Marshall and Josh Morris may be fit again, but will need someone to finish off the ammunition that they and the likes of Kyel Reid provide.

3: Injuries - and particularly the absence of Nathan Tyson - are hurting Doncaster. But it is by no means the sole excuse for their last two performances.

Rovers are currently having to slug it out, hamstrung by the absence of key men Andy Butler, Liam Middleton, Cameron Stewart and Nathan Tyson, with Darren Ferguson revealing that the quartet unlikely to be fit for next Tuesday’s home game with Walsall.

Quality has been conspicuous in its absence in Rovers’ last two games, when they have posted limited threats and their defending has not been particularly impressive of late and they continue to fall behind first at home. Rovers also lost too many battles in the middle of the park against Port Vale.

After their upturn under Ferguson, it represents a timely reminder that his side remain a work in progress. Rovers might have to grind it out for a week or two, with no new signings looking likely on the horizon.

4: Sheffield United will be keeping their fingers crossed that the prognosis regarding Billy Sharp is not bad.

Goals pay the rent and the boyhood Blade - until last night at least - had been scoring for fun, with seven arriving in successive League One matches in a real hot streak. A more undesirable development occurred last night when the Blades top-scorer, after playing through the pain barrier, was substituted midway through the second-half.

Nigel Adkins has openly spoken about results and not performances now counting and the loss of Sharp for a spell would be seriously bad news, with those around him struggling to score with any degree of regularity. A fox in the box is worth its weight in gold at this time of year.