Davies gives Barnsley chief Hill dream start by sinking Boro and ending personal nightmare

Davies struck in first-half stoppage time after good build-up between Barnsley captain David Perkins and Tomasz Cywka and, though he should have doubled the lead early in the second half, Hill was delighted with a 1-0 win and the performance of his frontman.

He said: “Craig needs to play off someone and if he does that this season he will score goals. Last season, he was a target man and he’s not a target man, and last season he was a manager’s nightmare.

“Perkins made the right decision to play the ball to Davies because he had the opportunity to score. Davies made the ‘keeper work with all his efforts. The ‘keeper made some excellent saves from him to deny him a hat-trick.

“The performance merited the result. We had opportunities to score more goals on the counter-attack.

“I am over the moon with the players’ efforts and their pace. I thought our ‘keeper (David Gonzalez) was excellent on his debut. I would have been disappointed if we had lost that game.

“I expected Middlesbrough to give a bit more than they did. I think they are short of a target man, but they moved the ball around in the right areas. I still believe that they are one of the favourites to get a play-off place.”

It was Barnsley’s first home win since March but, having lost 11 of their final 15 games in a dismal end to last season, they showed no lasting effects of that form.

The goal came when Davies was fed by Perkins and he powered home from the edge of the area to leave Boro’s Jason Steele with no chance.

It was an impressive display from Hill’s side and they could have won by more, with Davies, Stephen Foster and Jacob Mellis all going close.

Boro should have equalised eight minutes from time when the ball fell to Emanuel Jorge Ledesma only four yards out but he could not get any power behind his effort and Gonzalez saved.

Middlesbrough chief Tony Mowbray said: “We didn’t perform as we have in the pre-season games.

“Full credit to Barnsley, they made it very difficult for us. I am disappointed with the result but I know we will get better.

“It was a frustrating day for us. We lost possession 20 yards from the goal and they worked the extra man well. I am not one of those guys who will pick holes in his team because they have conceded a goal.

“When they scored they sat back, let us come at them and then counter-attacked. It’s back to the drawing board but we will recover from this defeat.”

Both sides made changes from their successful Capital One Cup outings, with Barnsley handing starts to Gonzalez, Scott Golbourne, Tomasz Cywka and Marlon Harewood while Mowbray replaced the injured Kevin Thomson and Mustapha Carayol with Faris Haroun and Julio Arca.

Boro, backed by a sizeable away following, were the quickest to settle and Arca, Emmanuel Ledesma and Grant Leadbitter all peppered the Barnsley goal with early shots from long range, although Gonzalez was only called into action once.

The Tykes, whose late-season form last year was so bad that they only retained their Championship status due to Portsmouth’s 10-point deduction, slowly found a way into the game and they should have taken the lead in the 16th minute, but defender Stephen Foster headed over from a good position.

They were buoyed by that opening and Davies stung Steele’s fingers with an effort from distance, and Cywka sent one just over.

They were rewarded for their endeavour with the vital breakthrough on the brink of half-time.

Hill’s men were not distracted by the 15-minute interval and Davies could have had another soon after the restart, but Steele produced a fine save. Foster then once more failed to direct a free header.

After Mellis sent an effort just wide for the hosts, Mowbray had seen enough and made a triple substitution on the hour mark in an attempt to bring some life to what had been a limp display.

However, it made no difference to proceedings and Davies was denied on two further occasions, with Steele in impressive form.

Barnsley: Gonzalez, Wiseman, Foster, Stones, Golbourne, Cywka, Mellis (Dawson 76), Perkins, Done (Etuhu 17), Davies, Harewood. Unused substitutes: Lidakevicius, Hassell, Collins, Digby, Dagnall.

Middlesbrough: Steele, Hoyte, Woodgate, Rhys Williams, Friend (Halliday 60), Haroun (Zemmama 60), Leadbitter, Arca (Reach 60), Ledesma, Emnes, Bailey. Unused substitutes: Leutwiler, Hines, Luke Williams, Smallwood.

Referee: J Adcock (Notts).

Man of the match: Craig Davies.