Barnsley 1 Middlesbrough 3: McDonald engineers Boro win to stun Barnsley

Barry Robson and Scott McDonald orchestrated a comprehensive victory that moves Boro up to second, but in this embryonic stage of the season performance and purpose are far more telling and this was menacing from Mowbray’s men.

After two seasons of treading water in the Championship they at last look equipped to mount a sustained challenge to win promotion back to the Premier League.

Barnsley’s search for a first goal of the season may be over after Stephen McManus’s early own goal, but the way Middlesbrough overturned that deficit quickly will get the rest of the Championship sitting up and taking note.

Robson and McDonald played a hand in each other’s goals before in-form Marvin Emnes completed the win on the stroke of half-time.

For Barnsley boss Hill the back of the net may at last have been breached, albeit through a sloppy own goal, but his bid to pick up a first win as Barnsley manager is now four games old.

With daunting trips to Reading and Millwall coming up, the task will not get any easier.

Hill wants his players to express themselves on the pitch, to play without fear. They may do so when the confidence is flowing, but there was only one side capable of that last night, and it was not Hill’s shell-shocked Reds.

It had all started so promisingly in front of the Oakwell faithful.

Barnsley’s wish to finally end their goal drought was granted after just four minutes, thanks to a catalogue of errors from Boro.

First Joe Bennett was robbed of possession in midfield by Danny Haynes who set Jacob Butterfield scampering through the middle.

He in turn sent David Perkins down the left. Justin Hoyte should have closed the ball down and found row Z but instead he dallied, Perkins crossed low and McManus, under pressure from Haynes, diverted the ball into his own net from six yards.

It was a soft goal but Boro set about the task of atoning quickly as McDonald found space inside the area but Luke Steele was out quickly to thwart him.

No matter, for the visitors were level on 11 minutes when McDonald stole in front of Perkins to glance Robson’s left-wing corner into the bottom corner. A breathless start showed no signs of abating as McDonald beat the offside trap and sprinted down the left.

As Barnsley’s defence bid a hasty retreat, the Australian fizzed the ball across the face of goal and a sliding Robson converted from close range despite the desperate efforts of Jay McEveley.

Hill’s men had it all to do again after seeing their early initiative overturned within 10 minutes.

Butterfield curled an 18-yard shot wide and then Haynes had a penalty appeal turned away when he cut in from the right and provoked a strong, but fair, challenge from Rhys Williams.

But every time Barnsley moved forward with intent, Boro’s pacey options in a 3-5-2 formation were capable of picking them off.

Robson almost doubled the advantage with 20-yard free-kick that curled agonisingly a foot wide of the far post.

Then Matthew Bates released Hoyte down the right and from his deft cross into the box Robson popped up again, this time sending the ball narrowly over with a header.

Barnsley’s midfield needed to put the brakes on Boro’s flying midfield and Nathan Doyle attempted to do just that when his lunge on Julio Arca resulted in a yellow card for the midfield man.

But there was no slowing this slick black-shirted outfit and it was 3-1 to Boro and game over on the stroke of half-time.

McDonald picked up a loose ball in midfield. With the darting runs of Robson and Emnes confusing the back-pedalling defenders he spied a gap to feed Emnes with a delightfully weighted ball between Rob Edwards and Stephen Foster and the Dutchman calmly rolled the ball under Steele.

Half-time brought no change, in personnel or momentum.

Boro should have had a fourth when Robson lofted an inviting chip over the Barnsley backline for Bates, who had continued his run from defence, but Steele saved.

Steele then brought off a fine stop to deny McDonald after yet more intricate passing carved Barnsley open again.

Hill threw on Craig Davies and teenager Reuben Noble-Lazarus, but the men of Middlesbrough were content to play keep ball.

Barnsley’s rare forward thrusts were greeted with comfortable parries from a defence emboldened by the confidence their attacking players radiated.

Middlesbrough look slick and ominous. Barnsley have their work cut out.

Barnsley: Steele; Wiseman, Foster, Edwards, McEveley; Addison (Done 84), Doyle (Davies 60), Perkins, Butterfield; O’Brien (Noble-Lazarus 71), Haynes. Unused substitutes: Preece, Hassell.

Middlesbrough: Ikeme; Bates, Williams, Bennett; Hoyte (Hynes 75), Robson, McManus, Bailey, Arca (Smallwood 81); McDonald, Emnes. Unused substitutes: Coyne, Kink, Martin, Smallwood.

Referee: D Drysdale (Lincolnshire).